In instances of an unfortunate aquarium incident, most pet owners assume that their fish have succumbed to a lack of oxygen in the water or some type of filter malfunction. However, when the aquarium in the York College biology wing had one such unfortunate incident in the winter of 2004, students and faculty suspected another culprit. The usually inconspicuous Medusa worm had lived in harmony with the other creatures in the watery habitat until creeping dangerously close to the filter and its suction. The stress of the ordeal caused the Medusa worm to release a toxin, which led to the death of its vertebrate friends, while the coral and starfish escaped the same fate.

During a classroom discussion about the event, biology major Jonathan Trager wondered if this toxin, named Holothurin, which damages red blood cells, could have the same impact on cancer cells since a number of substances isolated from marine animals have demonstrated usefulness in biomedical research. After reviewing existing research on the topic, which was mostly from the 1950s and 1960s, Trager found that only one other facility in the world is currently researching the potential for cancer treatment using the toxins from the organisms of the family Holothuridea.

With the help of his biology professor, Dr. Jeffrey P. Thompson, who has been involved in other cancer research, Trager set up his experiment to determine if the toxin could kill cancer cells and if so, how it was killing them. Using a crude form of the toxin from a Bahamian sea cucumber, a relative of the Medusa worm, Trager applied it to melanoma cancer cells and began to observe the effects. "I chose melanoma because it's not in the forefront of cancer research and is a very aggressive form of cancer," says Trager.

In the fall of 2004, Trager received an Undergraduate Research Grant from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, a competitive grant available to undergraduate researchers from colleges and universities across the state, assisting him in completing his research. His results indicated that the toxin was successful in killing the cancer cell line by activating a chain reaction that is normally shut off in cancer cells. Trager's research yielded an unexpected result when the recommended chemotherapy drug used for melanoma had almost no effect on the melanoma cells studied. While his research was successful, Trager points out that further study would be required before Holothurin could be used in a human test subject.

Still, the research earned Trager an opportunity to present a poster at the Pennsylvania Academy of Science's Annual Meeting on April 9, and his study abstract appears in the March 2005 issue of the "Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science." He plans to submit his final manuscript for publication at the end of the semester and is looking forward to presenting his research again during the Eighth Annual Student Scholars Week on April 25 at York College of Pennsylvania.

In addition to his research, Trager has also been instrumental in starting a science education program with Crispus Attucks during his tenure as president of the York College chapter of Tri Beta, the national biology honors fraternity. The program provides children involved with Crispus Attucks in York the opportunity to experience college first hand by attending specially prepared lectures and conducting and observing science experiments in the York College biology laboratories.

Upon graduation in May, Trager plans to attend medical school. A native of Montreal, Trager received his first undergraduate degree in psychology from McGill University. He immigrated to the United States to attend paramedic school in Williamsport where he met his wife. Trager and his wife moved to York in May 2000 where he began working as a paramedic with White Rose Ambulance and Memorial Hospital's Medic 102. Trager enrolled at York College in 2001 as a biology major and is currently employed as a paramedic in Lancaster.

Pictured above: Jonathan Trager and Dr. Jeffrey Thompson present Trager's poster at the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Annual Meeting on April 9.