DR Henry Lowe’s anticancer research took a further step forward last month after his findings were published in major scientific journals making them subject to peer review.

The publications in the International Research Journal of Biological Sciences, Advances in Biological Chemistry, and the International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment opened up a broader global audience to the Jamaican scientist’s findings that the Jamaican Ball Moss contains cancer-fighting properties.

The publications — ‘Isolation, purification and partial characterisation of a glycoside from the Jamaican Ball Moss’; ‘Anti-angiogenic properties of the Jamaican Ball Moss’; ‘Cycloartanes from the Jamaican Ball Moss’; and ‘Kinase inhibition by the Jamaican Ball Moss’ — support the efficacy of the drug research and development activities being conducted by Dr Lowe and his team.

“It has been a very long journey from the discovery of the Ball Moss as a plant with major anti-cancer properties,” Dr Lowe told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

“It is well known that it takes between 10 and 15 years, on average, for a drug of any sort to be developed, and, of course, hundreds of millions of dollars.”

He said that he and his team had worked hard to counter the cynics and naysayers who were very vocal when he first publicised his findings in December 2006. However, he admitted that their scepticism pushed him to work even harder as he was convinced that his research was sound.

In addition to the four published papers, Lowe made two presentations to leading cancer research scientists and medical researchers at the prestigious American Association of Cancer Research, of which he is a member.

Lowe, who has already developed nutraceuticals from the Ball Moss and other Jamaican plants, said that he and his team are preparing other papers for publication. Those will be released in due course.

In February this year, Dr Lowe, who was voted the Observer Business Leader in 2006, delivered on a promise made a year ago by launching what he said was the region’s first indigenous nutraceutical industry with seven products, including his flagship Alpha Prostate Formula 1 made from the Jamaican Ball Moss, or old man’s beard.

At the same time, Dr Lowe announced that an IPO will be launched next year to give Jamaicans here and in diaspora a “chance to invest in this lucrative and exciting venture”. “The potential earnings from this industry can be anywhere from US$500 billion, growing to a trillion US dollars in the next five years,” Dr Lowe told guests attending the launch ceremony at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston.

“The question is: are we ready to make the investments required to grow our share of this lucrative industry?” he asked.

The Alpha Prostate Formula 1 is basically a halfway house to the development of the anticancer properties he identified in the ball moss. The other products are:

• Jamaican Guinea Hen Weed supplement, traditionally used for the management of cancers, arthritis, rheumatism and diabetes;

• Joint Flex Formula supplement, which improves elasticity and movement in the joints and connective tissues of the body;

• Women’s Complete Formula, which supports the mature woman’s overall health and well-being, with added nutrients for menopausal and post-menopausal health;

• Men’s Complete Formula that supports men’s overall health and well-being;

• Aloe Complex Formula supplement, a mild laxative, which reduces inflammation and enhances colon health; and

• Anti-Stress B&C with Adrenal Formula to maintain the health of nerves.

Dr Lowe and his research partner, Dr Joseph Bryant, say that the anti-cancer compounds that they have extracted from the Jamaican Ball Moss have been demonstrated to kill prostate cancer and other cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. On Friday Dr Lowe said that he and his team have now isolated the individual bioactive molecules from the Ball Moss and are currently preparing patents. In addition, plans are being formulated for the Centre for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical School to begin clinical trials on both the Ball Moss extracts and the Alpha Prostate Formula 1.