Principal Investigators: Barrie R. Cassileth, Ph.D. and Philip O. Livingston, M.D.
Institution: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Partners: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; The Rockefeller University, New York, NY; Institute of Chinese Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
The thematic focus of this center was botanical immunomodulators relevant to the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. The investigators studied echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), turmeric (Curcuma longa), maitake and selected additional botanicals used in Traditional Medical systems for their immunomodulatory activity.
Research projects included: Botanicals as Adjuvants or Immunomodulators with Vaccines Against Cancer; Modulation of Antibody Based Cancer Immunotherapy by Botanicals; Regulation of Pathogen-Specific Immune Defense by Botanicals; and Development of Biomarkers for Study of Botanical Immunomodulators in Humans.