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Anticancer Drugs from Rhizosphere Microflora of Desert PlantsThe majority of anticancer drugs in use today are from natural sources. The goal of this project conducted in collaboration with the department of plant pathology is to investigate microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) that grow in the roots of desert plants for the occurrence of anticancer agents. This is a novel and an unexploited natural source of biologically active compounds. The region around the root with high density of microorganisms is called the rhizosphere and each plant supports unique types of microorganisms in its rhizosphere. Microorganisms are known to be a valuable source of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics and anticancer agents. Desert plants are unique compared to other plants growing elsewhere in the U.S. and thus will support different microorganisms. Microorganisms associated with the roots of selected desert plants will be assayed for the production of anticancer active compounds using our "in house" anticancer bioassays. Those microorganisms showing potential activity will be grown (cultured) on a large scale in order to isolate compounds responsible for their anticancer activity. Compounds with novel structures will be candidates for further development as anticancer drugs. |