UNAIR NEWS – Cancer is still one of the world’s leading killers. Some of the cancer treatments currently used such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, still pose high mortality and morbidity rate. High medical cost is also a constraint for people to get treatment. Despite the existing BPJS and other health insurance, health institutions still have to cover high cost.
From that problem, four students of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Airlangga have conducted a research on the potential of kenikir (Cosmos caudatus) leaf extract which is believed to be able to kill cancer cells in a programmed manner. The four students of FK UNAIR are Andi Yasmin Wijaya (2015), Winona May Hendrata (2015), Farmindo Hartono (2016), and Ainur Rahmah (2016).
Their creativity was written as a proposal for Exacta Research Student Creativity Program(PKM-PE). The research entitled “Potential Cosmos caudatus Kunth Leaf Extract as Cancer Therapy Through Induction of Stem Cell Cancer Apoptosis” was successfully passed the selection and got research funding from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti) 2016-2017 PKM.
“Our selection of kenikir as the object of research because kenikir often found in Indonesia and even our ancestors has been consumed it. It is a plant with high levels of flavonoid, “said Andi Yasmin Wijaya, head of this PKM team.
This study is specialized to kill stem cell cancer because it is different from the ordinary stem cells. Stem cells are cells with the ability to renew themselves and differentiate into other cells.
Stem cell cancer can also reproduce itself and potentially become a variety of cancers in other organs through the mechanism of metastasis. Stem cell cancer even have immune capabilities against chemotherapy and radiation, so a new approach is needed to kill these cells.
Since the discovery of cancer stem cells, researchers around the world have been competing to create Stem cell cancer targeted therapy. The discovery of this therapy is expected to be new breakthrough for more effective cancer therapy and with smaller possibility of relapse.
“For a long time, Indonesians have utilized plants as traditional medicine. We encourage Indonesian researchers and students to see this as a great opportunity in the development of drugs for various diseases, including cancer, “said Andi as head of the research.
The extraction procedure is done to get the flavonoid and other phenolic substances from kenikir. The extract then tested on normal stem cells and stem cell with cancer. The test on normal stem cells is aimed to test the toxicity of the extract against normal cells. Research done by utilizing various research facilities at Universitas Airlangga Surabaya. (*)
Editor: Bambang Bes
