Discovery of new anticancer drugs from hyper-arid deserts

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to Cancer Research UK, in 2012 14 million new cases were reported and 8 million deaths were caused by cancer. The search for newer, better drugs to treat cancer is therefore an increasing area of research. Currently there is a growing interest in bacterial species from extreme environments, such as hyper-arid deserts, as they are capable of producing compounds that have potential in treating or preventing cancer. The scholar will work as part of a larger directed effort in the research lab to discover novel compounds with anticancer potential.