NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: 12-16-04
Media Contact: Kathleen Warren
425.602.3103
Bastyr Begins New NIH Research on Mushrooms to Treat Cancer
(Kenmore, WA 12-16-04) While many types of mushrooms are appreciated throughout the world for their culinary delights, certain mushrooms may also be beneficial in anti-cancer immune therapy. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the NIH, has awarded Bastyr, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, a three-year grant to research how turkey tail mushroom may strengthen immune response to breast and prostate cancers. Bastyr’s portion of the three-year award totals $792,000.
This multi-project, two-site research grant will conduct exploratory studies on the immune effects of the Trametes versicolor mushroom species, commonly known as “turkey tail,” in both breast and prostate cancers. Selected due to its long history of medicinal use in China and Japan, this mushroom is not available in local grocery stores. Turkey tail grows in many parts of Asia as well as old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Various products containing turkey tail mushroom are often prescribed by naturopathic physicians and acupuncture/Oriental medicine providers as a component of collaborative anticancer therapies.
Laboratory and animal studies will explore mechanisms by which turkey tail mushroom extracts interact with different immune response pathways involved in host defense against tumor cells.
The study will also examine the safety of using turkey tail in women with breast cancer after standard cancer treatments. Data from this safety study will be used to design future clinical trials to test whether this mushroom can improve immune function in breast cancer patients after completing conventional treatment.
Cynthia Wenner, PhD, serves as Principle Investigator of the Bastyr sub-contract. In addition to Dr. Wenner, Bastyr’s Leanna J. Standish, ND, PhD, LAc, will also be a significant contributor, adding her extensive research and clinical background in breast cancer. Dr. Wenner states, “We’re excited the NIH has provided us with this opportunity. Medicinal mushroom therapy is not accepted as part of traditional cancer treatment in the United States since no studies here have been conducted to assess safety and efficacy in people with specific cancers.”
ABOUT BASTYR UNIVERSITY
Bastyr University, located north of Seattle, Washington, is an accredited institution, internationally recognized as a pioneer in natural medicine. Bastyr is the largest university for natural health arts and sciences in the U.S., combining a multidisciplinary curriculum with leading-edge research and clinical training to educate future leaders in fields such as naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and whole food nutrition. Founded in 1978 as the John Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine, Bastyr University now offers more than 15 accredited degree and certificate programs. Bastyr was the nation's first natural health arts and sciences university to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Bastyr University Research Institute plays a key role in the growth of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research. The University's teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, offers quality natural health care to the greater Seattle community while providing essential clinical training for students. For additional information about Bastyr University and its teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, visit
www.bastyr.edu or www.bastyrcenter.org.
