My Cancer Research

I attended Oconomowc High School and was a member of the science club lead by the Advanced Biology teacher Michael Olander. One of the main research projects the science club worked on was the affects Moringa oleifera had on cancer ridden mice.

The Experiment

To complete our research we injected mice with cancer and kept count of the number of tumors they grew. We then started to inject the the mice with Moringa oleifera extract. We expected promising results, however we found that injecting them with the extract caused the mice to become quite lethargic. We then decided to put them on a M. oleifera diet with limited injections to see if it would avoid the exhausting effects. The size and number of tumors were then counted each day to see if the Moringa oleifera treatment was having any affect on the cancer cells in the mice.

The Results

Our data suggests that Moringa oleifera possesses anti-cancer properties which are able to decrease not only the size of tumors, but also the number of tumors in mice. These results can be shown in the following charts and graph.

The Effect of Extract on an Adult Mouse:

Mortality Rates of Treated and Untreated Mice

Effect of Extract on Tumor Numbers in Treated Mice

Effect of Extract on an Old Mouse with Terminal Cancer:

Number of Tumors Present in Treated Mice:

Number of Tumors Present in Untreated Mice:

What We Did with Our Findings

Michael Olander and I, along with a few other students, presented our research at the Medical College of Wisconsin in front of Dr. Brian Chait, head of the Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry. Our research and trip to the medical college was written about in the local newspaper which allowed for more people to become aware of the anti-cancer properties in M. oleifera.

Our research has been referenced on Jaymun's Journey, a blog set up by the parents of young boy who fought Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Jaymun was given Moringa oleifera as a part of his treatment regimen. He went into full remission, but unfortunately passed away in 2010.

I'd like to thank all those apart of the Oconomowoc High School Science Club who helped out with the Moringa oleifera research. I'd especially like to thank Michael Olander for providing all the charts above and for always supporting our research, without him none of this  would have been possible.