Lauren Ginn Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 23 January 2013 Topic Proposal: Anti-Angiogenesis the New Cure

e of Cancer? Introduction/Overview For my extended inquiry project I will be researching the validity of using antiangiogenesis methods in order to starve out cancer and revolutionize treatment for the rest of time. Every day a human being hears the devastating statement, Im sorry, but you have cancer. The deadly disease has become one of the most researched of all time. According to a recent article posted by an Oncologist named David Chan, the National Cancer Institute has spent over 90 billion dollars alone on cancer research. People are hungrier than ever for a cure and will not stop the research until they get it. One of the new hot topics in the field of Oncology and cancer research is the thought of antiangiogenesis and starving out cancer. According to a presentation done by William Li, this revolutionary idea will change the way people fight cancer forever. Angiogenesis, by definition of Websters Dictionary, is the development of new blood vessels. The body constantly grows new blood vessels for many different functions, including to supply newly built tissues with blood and nutrients healing a wound. When angiogenesis gets out of hand, however, diseases arise in various places. According to William Li, All of the diseases that seem different on the surface actually have angiogenesis as a common denominator. Without angiogenesis, cancerous diseases will not grow and multiply because they do not have a blood supply and the nutrients

that are needed. However, once angiogenesis has occurred, the cancer cells have a route to circulate through the body and multiply through a process called metastasis. William Lis research in the field of angiogenesis has led to what is called antiangiogenic therapy. This therapy has been proven to shrink tumors and in some cases exterminate them entirely. In a four week period, a breast and brain tumor both decreased from the size of a golf ball or bigger to being microscopic. To prove the antiangiogenic therapy was not just by chance, many different researchers tested the drugs on different species. For example, when treating a dolphin with mouth cancer the antiangiogenic drugs caused the cancer to disappear completely and hasnt returned. There has been a 60% success rating with testing the antiangiogenic drugs on other animals and giving them either a longer life or a cancer-free life. There have also been success rates with prolonging a cancer patients life by as much as 106% now that antiangiogenic therapy has been introduced to the already known treatments for cancer. While the topic is still new and there are many different flaws in actual treatments, there are many ways that people of today can get involved in this research and try it out for themselves. According to more research done by William Li, 35% of cancers are caused by the persons diet. By using antiangiogenic foods and incorporating them into the persons diet it has been proved that cancers are not as likely to occur. Foods and beverages like strawberries, soy beans, cherries, and teas are proving to be natural antiangiogenic drugs that stop angiogenesis, and some cancers, from occurring. For my initial research, I read multiple articles to understand just exactly what angiogenesis was and how it affected humans and other species. I searched online for most of my information and found different presentations of the information and different researchers sharing their findings about the subject. I looked more into what exactly can be done about

stopping angiogenesis. William Lis presentation about his findings was definitely a driving force in my topic proposal because he gave so much interesting information with data that helped to give numbers to the qualitative data. My biology professor from last semester, Dr. Tuan Cao, talked about the subject with me on a very broad basis so I could get the main concept of it before diving into all the research and learning all about angiogenesis and its part in creating cancerous tumors.

Initial Inquiry Question(s) Is antiangiogenic therapy and antiangiogenic foods be the ultimate answer for curing and defeating cancer once and for all? My Interest in this Topic I first became interested in the topic of antiangiogenic and cancer because of my biology professor Dr. Tuan Cao. He had posted a video for the class to watch about angiogenesis and I was intrigued right away. That is when I found out about this new type of therapy that has been used to fight against cancer. Im also very interested in this topic because its so prevalent and important in todays world. Everyone, at some point in time, has been affected by cancer. Whether it is a family member, a distant relative, a teacher, or a friend, most people have known someone who has had to endure the fight to defeat cancer, some of them never getting to finish the fight. To find a cure and be able to increase the success rates with living patients would be a miracle in and of itself. I really want to learn as much as I can about what the newest research is in the world of cancer and oncology so that with my background in genetics that Im going to receive I will be able to add to the information and help solve the puzzle. I am also interested in learning more about just how antiangiogenic therapy is conducted and what exactly happens within these antiangiogenic drugs that cause them to work the way that they do.

Next Steps In order to get to the next level with my knowledge of the topic I plan to go the library and read some of the science journals that the library has to see other peoples views on the thought of antiangiogenic drugs and the new findings that have come out recently. UNC Charlotte also has an amazing cancer research department. I plan on making an appointment to talk to some of them and see what they know about the topic and if they have any kind of opinion about it. I will visit the angiogenesis foundation to see if they have released any new finding and how their research has been going along since the presentation with William Li. I plan to learn more about cancer in general and explain why angiogenesis is one of the major components of cancer.