A group of researchers at the Forsyth Institute lead by Dr. Alpdoğan Kantarcı have discovered a way to stop cancer growth.
A group of researchers at the Forsyth Institute lead by Dr. Alpdoğan Kantarcı have discovered a way to stop cancer growth, making the disease easier to treat and the treatment healthier for the patient. In the study, published in the American Journal of Pathology, Kantarcı and his team were able to show that an Omega-3 fatty acid derivative called Resolvin E1 reduces inflammation and kills the center of the tumor, stopping the spread of the disease and making the tumor easier to remove.
Kantarcı, who is a dentist, says the mouth has one of the most complex forms of inflammation, and that inflammation pathways are the same throughout the body. Inflammation is necessary for health, he states, but also plays a key role in cancer. “Most cancer forms spread as a result of prolonged exposure to inflammation. Resolvins can redirect inflammation, so that something that has been chronic becomes an acute inflammatory pathway, and disease is more easily handled by your body with no side effects. These compounds actually reprogram the inflammation.”
The study focused on an aggressive form of lung cancer. The group is now looking at other forms of cancer such as oral cancer and colon carcinoma. Kantarcı also studies the link between oral health and Alzheimer’s disease.
Alpdoğan Kantarcı credits his parents and RC for arriving at this point in his career: “Robert College is about innovation, following your dreams, and free and critical thinking. I still use my chemistry teacher Mr. Mallinder’s formulas. Mr. Eşref Sakarya, my biology teacher in Orta I, taught us to follow our curiosity. We never had traditional history classes with Hafize Hoca. It's impossible for me to repay my debt for all the years I was at Robert College.”
Published September 2022
