Oklahoma Scientists Researching Cancer Cures

By Emily Wood, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma scientists are on working on developing cancer cures.

Stephen Prescott is the president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. He says Oklahoma is on the leading edge in cancer research.

"I don't think there will be one cure for cancer," Prescott said. "But I expect one or more those will come from Oklahoma."

Researcher Rheal Towner is developing a new drug to treat brain tumors. The drug is being tested in rats with brain tumors. About 80 percent of the rats that received the drug lived full lives, while rats that didn't get the drug died almost immediately.

"That's the crucial questions – will this now work in human beings the way it works in rats and mice?" Towner said.

Scientist say they're devoted to searching for cures. Ralf Janknecht leads a team of researchers at OU that identified a gene that causes prostate cancer. Now, they are working on a cure.

"this could be the culmination of my career," Janknecht said. "I would look back on my time as a researcher as a fulfilling journey.