Two new compounds created by a University of Central Florida professor show early promise for destroying breast cancer tumors.  Associate Professor James Turkson’s compounds disrupt the formation and spread of breast cancer tumors in tests on mice. 

The compounds, S3I-201 and S3I-M2001, break up a cancer-causing protein called STAT3, and researchers have observed no negative side effects so far.  "The compounds are very promising," Turkson said. "They’ve worked very well in mice, and now we’re looking for partners to help us take these compounds to the next level of trials." 

Turkson's research has been published in the academic journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and ACS Chemical Biology, and he has obtained patents for both compounds.

Turkson is passionate about his research and has a very personal reason for wanting to find a cure for cancer. During his first year of college, his 52-year-old mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer and died. He dedicated his life to finding a cure.