by Lon Cohen
An ancient Asian remedy not very well-known in Western medicine just might unlock the key to fighting bladder cancer.
This, according to research that was performed by a St. Joseph’s College student and her professor.
This summer, senior Danielle Guercio, along with Valerie Giordano, Ph.D. conducted lab work studying the effectiveness of bufalin — a chemical that is derived from the saliva of toads — in killing bladder cancer cells.
The research was part of Guercio’s senior thesis paper.
Guercio has a personal stake in the fight against this specific type of cancer having lost two of her grandparents to the fatal disease, one the Mayo Clinic says affects about 68,000 adults in the U.S. every year.
Dr. Giordano explained that most of the research using bufalin is currently coming out of Asia and is not popularly used in the West.
Guercio’s experiment isolated specific proteins in bladder cancer cells to find out if the chemical was inhibiting the cell cycle; essentially testing to see if cancer cells were dying as expected.
Guercio also observed cells under a microscope to see visual evidence of cell death. One key aspect of her research was to discover the optimal dosage within a very narrow range to administer the chemical.
Although there were setbacks during her lab work, Guercio handled negative results very well, according to Dr. Giordano.
“Some students feel defeated when an experiment doesn’t work out as expected,” Dr. Giordano said. “Danielle is the type of person who is open to criticism and analysis of her results.”
Guercio said the work really gave her experience with the laboratory techniques needed to complete a project.
“It opened my eyes to the amount of time it takes to plan and conduct a well-designed experiment,” she said. “It also solidified that this is the field I eventually want to work in.”
Dr. Giordano said that the senior thesis project is geared toward teaching students the skills they need to use in a lab.
An extremely motivated and unassuming young woman, according to her professors, Guercio works hard, is dedicated and professional.
Dr. Giordano considered her to be in the top 2 percent of the students at SJC.
But real results are what matter to Guercio, and she’s even considering how she can continue the experiment this spring to zero-in on protein concentrations in cells, even though it will not have any effect on her final grade.
The 21-year-old from Holbrook is currently applying to PhD programs in cellular and molecular biology at the Watson School and Stony Brook University, she said.
Her ultimate goal is to conduct cancer research on the cellular and molecular level. She also wants to become a college biology professor.
Guercio will be the first person in her family to pursue this type of career.
“After completing my summer research project,” she said. “I knew for sure this is what I wanted to do in the future.”
Photo: Danielle Guercio (sitting) and Valerie Giordano at a tissue culture hood (or biological safety cabinet) that’s located in one of SJC Long Island’s laboratories. (Credit: Claudia Mirzaali)
