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.
