OHS students research plant cancer cures

Posted: March 16, 2009

Oconomowoc – Nearly a decade after a bone marrow transplant helped to save his life, Oconomowoc High School senior Colin Bauman was part of a group of students at the school doing a scientific research project that shows a tropical plant may show promise as an alternative treatment for cancer.

He and six other students, under the leadership of OHS veteran science teacher Mike Olander, reported their research to the Medical College of Milwaukee last month.

Olander said that former students working in health care in Third World nations had shared knowledge of the popularity of a plant called moringa was based on legend that it provided health benefits. Using seeds from the plant, students began the study.

"We did standard protocols, examining it for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants," Olander said, when suddenly the project took an interesting turn.

"A few weeks later, a student said she had mice at her home, like a hobby farm. She said there was a group that had a strain of cancer and they all died at three years," he said.

Olander said they checked with a veterinarian to make sure it was safe, and that the group of mice did have cancer.

While the protocol was developed in class, the OHS Science Club did the actual work after school.

Mice with the fatal cancers were treated with moringa, while other mice with cancer were left untreated as a control group; another group of healthy mice was treated with moringa as were the sick mice as a second control group.

The mice treated with moringa survived and appeared to have lost their tumors.

"Within a month, they went from sickly looking to healthy looking with shiny coats. The mice not treated with the moringa died," Olander said.

The healthy mice who were administered moringa became more active, appeared younger as evidenced by the color of their fur and generally appeared even healthier, he said.

"Moringa has a folklore attached to it that goes way back. People don't continue to use things that don't work; there must be something to it," he added.

Olander contacted the Medical College to share the students' work.

"I had to provide documentation. I think they were skeptical," he said.

Olander took students to the college for a tour and a meeting.

"They wanted to work with us. They have a desire to get people excited about medical research," he said.

"Dr. Michael Olivier took a look (at the project), and we found out that his wife is an expert botanist," Olander said.

"We did find out we were not the first to reverse tumors in mice with moringa," he added.

The doctor explained to students that the research creates more questions than answers. Does it work on other types of cancer, in other types of animals? Was this an anomaly?

"There are many questions. Do they need to stay on it for life?" asked Olander.

"One of the most important things Dr. Olivier showed us was how to communicate with scientists doing similar work around the world," through an Internet data base.

"We've gotten our work out in the data base and are connecting with people around the world," Olander said.

The students would like to set up another experiment before the end of the year, the teacher said.

"It really had a special meaning to me. I am a cancer survivor," Bauman said.

Bauman was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and had a bone marrow transplant in January 2000.

"I have been in remission for nine years," he said.

Bauman, who plans a career as a pediatric oncologist, said the project just reaffirmed that drive.

"This reminds me that we could be staring the cure to something right in the eye. I hope it opens people's eyes to alternative solutions," the OHS senior said.

Olander said he is proud of the work of his students.

"We tend to think of high school students as kids, but I've learned they can do the hard work. They are unbiased by higher learning and unaffected by other people's past failures. So when young people come to a problem like cancer, they bring an optimism, determination and energy you don't always see in a research project. They don't know hopelessness or frustration; they are free of that," he said.