Diindolylmethane (DIM) Research at Cal
Research on Diindolylmethane at UC Berkeley has been a collaborative effort led by the laboratories of Dr. Leonard Bjeldanes and Dr. Gary Firestone. Together, Dr. Bjeldanes and Dr. Firestone have published more scientific papers on Diindolymethane than any other research team worldwide.
Dr. Leonard Bjeldanes, Ph.D., is Professor and former Chairman of the Nutritional Sciences Department at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Bjeldanes’ laboratory is recognized globally for its innovations in the fields of nutrition and molecular oncology and is particularly credited for its pioneering research on Diindolylmethane (DIM). Dr. Bjeldanes’ laboratory was the first to discover DIM’s anti-proliferative effects on prostate cancer cells and discover its biological mechanism of action, the first to discover DIM’s role in healthy estrogen metabolism, the first to discover DIM’s multitude of anti-proliferative effects on human mammary tumor cells, and more recently, the first laboratory to discover DIM’s unique immune modulatory properties. This recent discovery helps to shed light on important biomedical questions regarding DIM’s efficacy on RRP tumors and Cervical Dysplasia. It has opened new vistas for biomedical investigators worldwide and has led to a global effort to leverage this unique mode of action for a multitude of diseases: from AIDS, Hepatitis, and Human Papilloma Virus to most forms of cancer. Dr. Bjeldanes has authored over 100 publications in prominent scientific journals and is the inventor of numerous issued and pending patents in the fields of molecular immunology and oncology. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Nutrition and the Society of Toxicology. He has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Nutrition, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Food Research International and Chemical Research in Toxicology.
Dr. Gary Firestone, Ph.D., is Director of the National Institutes of Health Cancer Research Program, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, and former Chairman of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California at Berkeley. He is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of molecular oncology and a highly sought after speaker at scientific conferences on oncology research. His laboratory is also recognized for its pioneering work on Diindolylmethane. Dr. Firestone’s laboratory, in collaboration Dr. Bjeldanes’, was the first in the world to conduct a human clinical study on Diindolylmethane supplementation and demonstrate that it increased the 2-hydroxylation of estrogen metabolites.1 In light of earlier research conducted by European biomedical investigators confirming that this process reduces the risk of cancer, this publication regarding Diindolylmethane made headline news in the field of nutrition.2 Dr. Firestone has published over 100 publications in prominent scientific journals and is the inventor of multiple issued and pending patents in the fields of molecular immunology and oncology. He has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Molecular Endocrinology and the Journal of Experimental Zoology in addition to serving on the grant review boards of the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of the American Society of Cell Biology, American Association of Cancer Research and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
1. Pilot study: effect of 3,3′-diindolylmethane supplements on urinary hormone metabolites in postmenopausal women with a history of early-stage breast cancer. Journal of Nutrition and Cancer. 2004;50(2):161-7. Dalessandri KM, Firestone GL, Fitch MD, Bradlow HL, Bjeldanes LF, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-3200, USA.
2. Estrogen metabolism and risk of Breast cancer: A prospective study of the 2:16α-hydroxyestrone ratio in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Epidemiology, 2000, vol. 11, no.6, pp. 635-640 Muti P, Bradlow HL, Micheli A, Krogh V, Freudenheim JL, Schunemann HJ, Stanulla M, Jun Y, Sepkovic DW, Trevisan M, Berrino F, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University at Buffalo, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA, Epidemiology Division of the National Cancer Institute (Istituto Nazionale Tumori), Milan, Italy, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Medical School of Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
News Brief From Berkeley
A Bioavailable Diindolylmethane Immune Support Formula has been launched with technology exclusively licensed from UC Berkeley as a fund-raiser for nature-based cancer therapeutics research. For more information about this formula, please visit: www.BerkeleyFormula.com.
