At Cypress, I have the opportunity to use both my executive biotechnology experience acquired over two decades, and my specialized background with selenium and disease prevention. For example, I am part of a team who is focusing a lot of energy on an aggressive cancer prevention campaign in order to get Americans-and people around the world-to consume a special type of selenium known as SelenoExcell®. SelenoExcell® was determined to dramatically reduce colon, prostate, and lung cancers in a gold-standard human clinical trial that was published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

After earning my BS and MS degrees at Ohio State University, I was awarded my Ph.D. at Cornell University. I did my research for my Ph.D. dissertation on the biochemical role of selenium at the cellular level in the prevention of diseases. My Ph.D. research was conducted under the direction of a world-renowned selenium scientist, Dr. G. F. Combs, Jr.

Although sadly underutilized, selenium has the potential to have the most profound impact upon dietary cancer prevention of any nutrient we know of today. Cancer rates per 100,000 people are about the same as they were 40 years ago. According to the American Cancer Society, 565,650 people are expected to die this year due to cancer in the USA, and 11,000,000 people are expected to have cancer in 2009. These cancer incidence and death rate due to cancer are unacceptable. Selenium acts as an active component of the important enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, which helps combat free radicals. Free radicals are part of the cause of many chronic diseases including cancer. Selenium plays a vital role in our natural defense system.

In 1996,the late Dr. Larry Clark, of the University of Arizona Cancer Research Center, and Dr. G.F. Combs, Jr., who was Professor at Cornell University at the time (and currently Director of the USDA in Grand Forks, ND), published results from the 10-year Nutritional Prevention of Cancer (NPC) Trial. The NPC Trial which was published in the December, 1996 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), showed Cypress’ SelenoExcell® brand selenium, taken as a dietary supplement at 200 micrograms per day, powerfully reduced the risk for many types of cancer (colon, lung and prostate) from 50%-63%.

Dr. G.F. Combs, Jr. has published an excellent review article showing the need for more research in order to support a public health claim for the use of selenium in the prevention of cancer.

Savvy consumers have been seeking out the SelenoExcell® brand of selenium in health stores for over a decade. Today there is the opportunity to fortify foods using the same ingredient that was used in the 10-year study. SelenoExcell®, selenium bound to an array of amino acids-such as cysteine and methionine-that form proteins, can be incorporated into bread, beverages, and other healthy foods. Many types of selenium used in dietary supplements are unbound, inorganic, and are not the natural food form of selenium. The biological availability of selenium is higher in organically-bound selenium.

We at Cypress Systems are placing our full energy behind taking this remarkable cancer prevention research to add this nutrient into normal diets. Our passion and our mission is to use this simple, safe, and inexpensive nutrient to lower cancer risk and prevent a horrible disease that has touched too many Americans’ lives.

It is great to be back to my roots!!!