Malaria Drug and Cancer Treatment

 

Anas Owda, Class of 2021, completed major in Biology Health Science 

My Capstone is one of the most memorable experiences of my college career. My topic was about the treatment of cancer using a drug that has been used to treat Malaria.

Dr. Nancy Liu-Sullivan let me do research with her on the role of Artesunate in treating cancer. This drug has been very effective in the treatment of malaria, and a breakthrough has shown that it could possibly be effective against cancer.

I wanted some background information so I would not go into my research blind, so I read what I could about the topic. It was a bit difficult finding studies on the topic, because this was a new treatment used in the fight against cancer.

There has not been much research done but what has been done shows some promising results. I managed to get enough information to complete my capstone paper. This was a great learning opportunity if I do any research again. My research was hand-off this time, meaning that there wasn’t an actual experiment. It was strictly online research and looking at different studies. I hope my research is hands-on next time. Overall, this was a very pleasant experience.