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College of Arts and Sciences
Center for Cancer Research
Who We Are
Students at the Anderson University Center for Cancer Research work with advanced equipment and skilled researchers to study cancer treatments and causes, all with a focus on community outreach and education. The Center’s studies have received recognition and support from South Carolina’s scientific community. To apply to be on our team, please reach out to Dr. Diana Ivankovic.
Published Research
Research from the Center for Cancer Research has been published in the Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science and presented at scientific conferences in South Carolina. In addition, students who have worked at the Center for Cancer Research have become physicians and continued research careers.
Center for Cancer Research Director and Professor of Biology, Dr. Diana Ivankovic, herself a breast cancer survivor, has led cancer research for years at Anderson University. When the Center opened, it gave Dr. Ivankovic a dedicated space to lead the work. The cancer center space, donated by AnMed Health Medical Center, is less than a mile from AU’s main campus. Dr. Ivankovic is joined by Assistant Director, Dr. Andy Norris, a biochemist, and other Anderson University faculty in the fields of chemistry and biology.
Our Team
Four to six students join faculty in the Center for Cancer Research each semester. The center typically works on 4 main projects at a time. Students work with fruit and plant extracts to see how well they fight different forms of cancer–pancreatic, stomach, or nerve, for example. A notable project involved a plant extract harvested from the Peruvian Amazon jungle. Locals in the region said the extract is useful for fighting stomach cancer, which raised Dr. Ivankovic’s interest. The extract has since demonstrated powerful anti-carcinogenic effects on stomach cancer cells and is now being tested on other types of cancer.
Students at the Center for Cancer Research work with state-of-the-art equipment such as a tissue culture hood, which creates the sterile environment needed to work with cancer cells, an ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) plate reader, which helps take readings and collect data, a fluorescent microscope, centrifuges, a minus 80 degrees Celsius freezer (used for storing cells), incubators, and an inverted microscope.
Students join in research that’s underway, and they can make suggestions and alter the research based on new studios, publications, and findings. Working in the lab can fulfill senior research credit, which is required for all biology and biochemistry majors at AU.
Award Information
Students can also apply to be a Cancer Scholar by contacting Dr. Ivankovic. Selected students work at the Center for Cancer Research as Cancer Scholars and receive school credit for their work. Previous Cancer Scholar, Gregory Barrett completed his graduate work in preclinical science–a foundation for medicine and biomedical research–at Mercer University’s School of Medicine. At the Center for Cancer Research Barrett studied pokeweed, a plant native to the southeastern United States that has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. He researched how cancer cells responded to the plant’s presence.
To apply, please reach out to Dr. Diana Ivankovic for more information.
