Students heal cancer cells with mullein plant

A project by high school students from Eskişehir, which heals pancreatic cancer cells using a substance derived from the mullein plant, won first place in an international competition, and the team has received invitations from England and Iran. The biggest obstacle preventing the high school students from participating in upcoming competitions is the lack of sponsors.

PLANT ROOTS, STEMS, AND FLOWERS PROCESSED AND INJECTED INTO CANCER CELLS

Students Arda Çelik, Zehra Alsaran, and Zehra Duymaz, working under the coordination of their advisor teacher Halime Avcı Bölek at Eskişehir Şehit Mehmet Şengül Science High School, participated in the Buca IMSEF (International Music, Science, Energy, Engineering Fair) International Science and Art Competition, organized for the fourth time this year by the Buca Municipality's science base, the Buca Science and Art Center (BSM). The team processed the roots, stems, and flowers of the mullein plant and injected them into pancreatic cancer cells. Observing the cells afterward, the project team noticed visible healing. For the project, which, unlike other cancer drugs, heals cancer cells without harming healthy ones, the team received laboratory support from the Anadolu University Faculty of Pharmacy. The team from Eskişehir, which presented their project in the field of biology at the competition featuring participants from 12 countries, won first place and a gold medal. The winning team will represent the country by accepting invitations to competitions to be held in England, Iran, and Turkey. The students need sponsorship support to be able to attend the competitions they have been invited to.

Halime Avcı Bölek, a chemistry teacher at Eskişehir Tepebaşı Şehit Mehmet Şengül Science High School, made the following statements regarding the project and the process:

“First of all, my students and I prepared this project for the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) competition and participated in it. We achieved success there as well, becoming third in the region. But we developed this project a bit further and participated in an international competition. We deserved to win a gold medal there too. To briefly describe our project; it is actually a plant known as mullein, which is very common on roadsides. We took certain parts of this plant. We took the roots, stems, and actually the leaves and flower parts, and then we extracted them. Then we injected them into pancreatic cancer cells and healthy cells. As a result of the tests and analyses we conducted, we saw that the flower part was particularly effective. Now, one of the biggest characteristics of cancer drugs is that they cause a lot of damage to healthy cells while killing cancer cells. However, our flower cell, in particular, showed significant selectivity in this regard. We also performed the calculations for this, statistically. And we found very significant values. In other words, we found that it has a serious killing power on pancreatic cancer without harming healthy cells. We also received great support from Anadolu University. I would also like to thank the Faculty of Pharmacy. If they hadn't really opened their laboratories to us, we couldn't have done this project. Later, we applied to an international program in İzmir. 27 countries applied, and 12 of them were selected. The children participated in this event in İzmir for 3 days. There was an award ceremony on the last day, and we learned that we had won a gold medal.”

THERE IS ALSO A SEARCH FOR SPONSORS

Stating that they have received invitations to competitions to be held in London and Iran, Halime Avcı Bölek expressed that the chances of them attending the competitions are low due to costs. Stating that they could participate in the competition with sponsorship support, Bölek continued as follows:

“We were invited to an organization that is both a competition and a congress to be held in London and Iran later in July. Actually, at this point, we are also looking for a sponsor. There are significant costs for the children to go there. I would be very happy if we could find a sponsor. I would not want my students to miss out on experiencing that atmosphere. I would be very glad if there are sponsors who can provide support here. This is a preliminary study; we actually want to continue the drug development process. Because it is a high school-level project, it is not very possible for us to get permission for animal or human experiments. But if I can develop this project, present it abroad, and find support, we want to continue the drug development phase.”

Zehra Duymaz, a student at Eskişehir Tepebaşı Şehit Mehmet Şengül Science High School, said about the gold medal they received and the project: “At first, we looked at the absorption property of mullein and saw that it absorbed heavy metals very well. While researching this plant, we later saw that it had anti-carcinogenic effects on cancer. Accordingly, while looking to see if we could find things from here, we saw that no study had been done on pancreatic cancer, and we turned a bit more to this field. First of all, I started to question my career choices. Since I saw the intrinsic things in the field of biochemistry or pharmacology and I liked them very much, I thought I might choose a career in this field, and winning a first place like this pushed me to think that I could be successful in this field. I also learned how to do group work, read articles, do scientific research, and how I should dress and act in the laboratory; I learned many scientific things, and it contributed a lot to me.”

News Source: İHA