SOUTH KINGSTOWN – A University of Rhode Island undergraduate majoring in chemistry is part of a URI program investigating whether the Eugenia jambolana berry could provide a natural treatment for breast cancer.

Caroline Killian worked this summer in a laboratory mashing up berries – otherwise known as Jamun – and doing extensive tests to find their degree of anti-cancer activity.

The berry is a vibrant purple color, native to India and found in the United States in Hawaii, Florida and Texas. It is traditionally used as a pre-insulin treatment for diabetes.

Killian’s work as a summer undergraduate research fellow continues with URI Pharmacy Prof. Navindra Seeram.

As a summer research fellow, Killian was one of 80 students from URI and seven other Rhode Island colleges who participated in a program funded by federal grants awarded to the URI College of Pharmacy and the College of the Environment and Life Sciences.

In collaboration with Lynn Adams, a breast cancer researcher at City of Hope Hospital in California, Killian was able to test the effects of the Jamun berry on the growth of breast cancer cells in cell cultures. They found that the berries had a strong positive effect on the cancer cells. •