CURRENT PROJECTS

1. ROLES OF CARBONIC ANHYDRASE ISOZYMES IN HOMEOSTASIS AND METABOLISM
This project's focus involves studies of possible clinical applications of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, especially with respect to cancer therapy, including the potential of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. The methods being used include cell culture and cell invasion techniques, and xenografts in immunodeficient mice.

2. EFFECTS OF LYCOPENE ON PROSTATE CANCER
Our procedure has been to incubate PC-3 cells in the presence of lycopene, at varying concentrations, and then to measure cell concentration using a metabolic dye. Our current results indicate a trend of lycopene-induced inhibition of cell growth with the greatest inhibition occurring at higher concentrations. However, our aim is to show inhibition at physiologically relevant concentrations. This goal may be achieved by double-pulse the cells with lower concentrations of lycopene, once at the outset and secondly halfway through the 24 hour incubation period. Since lycopene may have a limited effective half-life, it is possible that lycopene-induced inhibition of growth occurs in the initial incubation period, but may be obscured by cell growth occurring later when lycopene is no longer effective. Once we obtain reliable inhibition of PC-3 cells at physiological concentrations of lycopene, we can examine the effects of lycopene on the chemotaxis and metastatic phases of PC-3 prostate cancer cells.