Anti-cancer student researchers from UWindsor won top awards at the Natural Health Product Research Society of Canada’s annual conference in June.

Hannah Drew (BSc 2023) finished her biochemistry degree this spring and is about to start master’s studies under the supervision of Siyaram Pandey, chemistry and biochemistry professor. Drew won the $500 best poster prize for her presentation on white tea and long pepper extracts.

“I presented how those individually and in combination were causing anti-cancer effects in prostate cancer,” she says.

Two other undergraduates from Dr. Pandey’s lab also took home acknowledgements. Abby Raad won second place in the oral platform presentation with a $500 prize and Karolina Konior took first place in the three-minute thesis presentation for $250.

All three undergraduate researchers study the benefits of botanical extracts in treating cancers including breast cancer, glioblastoma, and neuroblastoma.  

Drew says Pandey’s lab is in a unique situation for natural health product research.

“We study natural health products for cancer research for undergraduates, graduate students, and post docs,” says Drew.

The 2023 conference theme was “new frontiers” and featured plenary speakers from around the world as well as panel discussions addressing advances and challenges in research, industry, and regulation of natural health products.

—Sara Elliott