these drugs vary in their mode of actions and the types of cancers they are used to fight. generally speaking, and simplifying matters, their purpose or intent is to destroy cells (in other words, kill cells). the intended cells are usually the one rapidly multiplying, however they are not selective. some of the drugs are known to be carcinogenic, other mutagenic, others teratogenic, and so on. they can have various and serious health effects. so what’s the problem? well, if healthy people get exposed to these drugs, the fear is that the drugs will behave the way they are intended to behave. and that is, to destroy various cells, depending on the drug and its mode of action, and thus create some rather serious health effect(s).
my first project, and the one that got my feet fully wet in research, was to look at the potential by-products produced by oxidizing cyclophosphamide (a chemotherapy drug and known carcinogen) with household bleach. this was my first project, and it is the one i started with as soon as i began the program. this project is close to being completed and some of its findings will be presented soon, at a few conference.
my second project is looking to develop a specific cleaning agent for these drugs. various things are currently being used, and the only one designed to clean antineoplastic drugs is a cleaning agent that has household bleach as its prime ingredient (which is great, if you want to decompose the drugs, but as it turns out based on my first project some of the by-products created may be more harmful than the parent drugs itself; also, some drugs do not get oxidized by bleach).
what do i hope to accomplish with these two projects? well, besides getting a diploma from the program, i’m hoping that the results from these projects will be used to create a safer work environment for the workers dealing with these drugs on a regularly and daily basis. so, there you have it…a quick summary of what i do at school all day long…besides drinking large amounts of coffee…
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