{"id":11327,"date":"2025-07-15T21:06:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T02:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=11327"},"modified":"2025-07-16T08:36:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T13:36:03","slug":"sau-professor-conducting-research-on-fighting-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2025\/sau-professor-conducting-research-on-fighting-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"SAU professor conducting research on fighting breast cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Cancer.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a word that elicits strong emotions. Fear. Anger. Dread. Hate. Discouragement.<\/p>\n

However, Dr. Adrian Showalter is working to add a new word to that list: Hope.<\/p>\n

Showalter, an assistant professor of biology at Southern Arkansas University, is conducting cancer research through the use of nanoparticles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nanoparticles are small enough to get inside a cell and cause damage to a cancer cell,\u201d said Showalter.<\/p>\n

Showalter, who has been at SAU for five years, initiated the research when he was at the University of Central Florida, where he earned his Ph.D. \u201cThis is what I did in graduate school at Central Florida and working in the lab. \u201cWe looked at breast cancer and how it affects the body. We looked at treating breast cancer using nanoparticles and also trying to understand breast cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although still early in the process, Showalter is already seeing positive results in his research.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re finding that we can treat breast cancer cells that we grow in the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Puskar Chapagain, associate professor of physics, has produced the nanoparticles for Showalter\u2019s research in a powder form.<\/p>\n

Showalter has been encouraged by the results he has seen through the research.\u00a0 \u201cWe found that nanoparticles are effective against cancer cells,\u201d said Showalter. \u201cNow we need to test them against healthy cells.<\/p>\n

The SAU professor said it\u2019s important to run the test against healthy cells to help ensure the safety of patients in the future. “I test the nanoparticles against the health cells to ensure that the healthy cells aren\u2019t damaged by the nanoparticles.\u00a0 The goal is to prevent patient side effects.\u201d\u00a0 As his research has progressed, Showalter is now collaborating with researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>His research also has another benefit \u2013 a learning opportunity for students in his classes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m starting to work it in with some of my students,\u201d said Showalter. \u201cI bring up my research to illustrate a point in my class lectures. It helps so we can talk about how we treat cancer. Here\u2019s what people are doing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenna Helms is one student who is working closely with Showalter on his research. Helms, who just completed her junior year, presented a paper this past spring at the Arkansas Academy of Sciences at Batesville.<\/p>\n

As the research continues, Showalter is also embracing another significant step in the process: publication of his findings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing now is getting this published and to add this to the body of knowledge [about breast cancer]. Maybe that will inspire someone else to look into it and continue the studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research and cure are still in the future. However, Showalter\u2019s research is a step toward a possible cure for breast cancer. And that\u2019s a step that can provide hope for millions.<\/p>\n

About SAU:<\/p>\n

SAU, located in Magnolia, Arkansas, provides students with a complete college experience in a caring environment of service, innovation, and community. With more than 100 degrees in four distinct colleges and the School of Graduate Studies, SAU initiates new degree programs to fit the needs of career and professional trends of today. As part of this commitment, SAU proudly offers the Next Step Guarantee program, ensuring that students receive the necessary resources, career guidance, and support to transition successfully from college to their chosen careers or graduate studies. To learn more about SAU, visit www.saumag.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cancer. It\u2019s a word that elicits strong emotions. Fear. Anger. Dread. Hate. Discouragement. However, Dr. Adrian Showalter is working to add a new word to that list: Hope. Showalter, an assistant professor of biology at Southern Arkansas University, is conducting cancer research through the use of nanoparticles. \u201cThe nanoparticles are small enough to get inside… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":11330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[271,96,7756,308,7753,10616],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-biology","9":"category-chemistry-and-physics","10":"category-college-of-science-and-technology","11":"category-homepage","12":"category-research","13":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11327"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11342,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11327\/revisions\/11342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}