School kid in Chicago accidentally discovers groundbreaking cancer drug

A middle school student from Chicago has helped discover a surprising ingredient that could safeguard against cancer. 

Camarria Williams collected goose droppings near a pond in Chicago's Garfield Park as part of a science project in collaboration with the University of Illinois Chicago. 

Amazingly, laboratory tests revealed that the guano contained a never-before-seen compound that slowed the growth of human melanoma and ovarian cancer cells.

As a result of her findings, Camarria has been listed as a co-author on a paper published in the scientific journal ACS Omega. 

She was one of a handful of middle schoolers enrolled on a 14-week science program focused on growing antibiotics from bacteria discovered from natural sources.

The children, aged between 11 and 14, chose various things in their environment to sample for bacteria, with their picks including lake water, insects, flowers, a playground slide and event an air conditioning filter.

Altogether, they collected 40 samples and performed over 5,500 tests. 

Of these, some were chosen for further analysis and the most promising ones were eventually screened by UIC graduate students and postdoc mentors.

Camarria's successful sample of goose droppings revealed a new compound scientists had not seen before. 

Further efforts are now underway to determine how the compound works in killing cancer cells.

Other compounds in the goose droppings are also being tested for their antibiotic activities. 

Jin Yi Tan, a UIC graduate student who helped develop the the program to engage youth from marginalized neighborhoods in STEM education, said the results were exciting. 

She explained: 'Some of the samples did have antibiotic properties that were already known - they had been previously discovered. 

'It's still really exciting for the kids when we tell them that we found an active antibiotic molecule in their sample.'

The scientist said that watching the students become more confident over the course of the program was also rewarding. 

'I think the most rewarding part for me is seeing the progress as kids became more confident in themselves over time,' she said. 

'Like, yeah, I can program stuff. I can do this. I chose these samples.' 

In the study, the UIC researchers write that the discovery is proof that 'it is possible to integrate educational awareness programs with the discovery of high-quality natural products'. 

While Camarria safely collected the goose droppings as part of her science project, the CDC recommends avoiding touching bird guano as a precaution against bird flu.

It warns: 'As a general precaution, people should avoid direct contact with wild birds and observe wild birds only from a distance, whenever possible. 

'Don't touch sick or dead birds, their feces or litter, or any surface or water source (e.g., ponds, waterers, buckets, pans, troughs) that might be contaminated with their saliva, feces, or any other bodily fluids without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).'