The Jamaica Observer reports that Jamaican scientist Dr. Henry Lowe and his research team have made another significant step in their efforts to successfully combat cancer under an exclusive licensing rights agreement with University of Maryland (UM) Ventures.

The university and Dr Lowe’s Baltimore-based firm Educational and Scientific LLC (ESL) made the announcement yesterday in a news release, stating that the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) granted ESL exclusive licensing rights to its interest in the commercial development of a molecule whose anticancer properties were jointly discovered by ESL and UMB.

Dr Lowe’s Jamaica-based Bio-Tech R&D Institute collaborated on the discovery, which is being regarded in the scientific community as significant. “The molecule has consistently demonstrated its potential for the treatment of a variety of cancers, particularly lung, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, pancreatic, and prostate cancer,” the news release said.

[. . .] Educational and Scientific LLC is a commercial venture established by Dr Lowe to conduct further research and development of medicinal plant isolates for the development of new pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.

[. . .] Dr Lowe, who has spent nearly 50 years extensively studying the potential for plant-based compounds to treat a range of chronic diseases, has won international recognition for his work with the Jamaican Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata).

Properties from the plant have shown promise as potential treatment for cancers and as a neuroprotective agent, for diseases such as Parkinson’s.

His team includes Dr Joseph Bryant, DVM, associate professor of pathology and director, Animal Models Division at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology (IHV); Dr Ngeh Toyang, whose background is in the study of the medicinal potential of plant isolates; as well as Dr Charah Watson, head of Bio-Tech R&D Institute.

[. . .] Dr Toyang was reported as saying: “This is a very significant milestone achievement for Jamaican science as cancer remains one of the most dreadful diseases, and to have a potential cure that can benefit many cancer patients brings a lot of hope.”

For full article, see http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Lowe-s-cancer-research-gets-significant-boost_19235983