Chemistry and biology students release research

• One professor and a duo of UCF students are helping research new ways to battle cancer.
• College of Medicine professor Otto Phanstiel, doctorate of chemistry student Aaron Muth and undergraduate biology major Joseph Kamel presented their research at the most recent American Chemical Society regional meeting in New Orleans.
• The team’s research was on polyamines, which are molecules that are present in all living cells that are made or imported to facilitate growth within that cell.
• Muth, as an undergraduate student, began looking for projects to work on and found Phanstiel’s research on polyamine transport activity, which is especially prevalent in colon and pancreatic cancers, the most appealing.
• Alongside Muth was Kamel, who was new to working in a lab and doing research.
• Together they focused on the organic synthesis of a compound to make it pure and test it biologically with different cancer cell lines.
• After a busy summer spending nearly six days a week in the lab, the group is hoping to see their research be utilized and put onto the market, but for now it’s a waiting game that revolves around grants for funding, which Phanstiel is in the process of obtaining so they can continue their research.

This information is from an article by Tim McGowan and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.