Marcus Butler
13 April 2017: To some, it’s little more than a Christmas decoration and an excuse for a cheeky kiss. But mistletoe has long held the attention of University of Canberra PhD graduate Bilquis Ara for its potential role in treating one of Australia’s deadliest cancers.
Dr Ara, who is also a medical doctor in her home country of Bangladesh, spent the past five years studying how mistletoe can be used as a treatment for skin cancers such as melanoma.
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Dr Bilquis Ara graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Canberra on 12 April. Photo: Kim Pham.
She has been researching whether an extract of the plant’s leaves, stem and fruit can help treat the cancer.
Dr Ara performed a range of in vitro and animal studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms that underlie the anti-cancer effects of mistletoe. Her research led to important discoveries regarding the appropriate use of mistletoe extracts as a complementary therapy.
“If you administered more than the optimum dosage the mistletoe damaged the immune system and actually led to an increase in the size of the melanoma,” Dr Ara said.
Dr Ara said her research sheds light on a number of traits of mistletoe in cancer treatment, including its ability to reduce certain markers which cancer cells use to disguise themselves from the body’s own immune system.
“We found that treatment with mistletoe could cut the presence of cell marker CD47 by up to 40 per cent and by doing so, it could assist the body to target cancerous cells and destroy them naturally,” she said.
Dr Ara thanked her supervisors and colleagues for supporting her during her studies and was thrilled to graduate from the University of Canberra on 12 April.
She hopes to continue her post-doctoral work on mistletoe and cancer treatment in Europe.
Read about more of our recent graduates:
Paul’s inspiring walk to collect UC degrees
UC alumna builds career while studying
Grad designs 3D printing company
Degree takes pharmacy grad to Uluru
Former naval officer charts new course at UC
