Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in men in the United States, and poses a great challenge to public health. Although usually treatable, prostate cancer may become aggressive and thus leads to many male deaths. Natural products are considered to be an excellent source for drug discovery.  My research primarily investigates dibenzoylmethane (DBM), a minor constituent of licorice that is widely used in sunscreens as an ultraviolet blocking agent. My laboratory was the first to show that DBM inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells in vitro  in conjunction with an accumulation of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The mechanistic basis for these antiproliferative effects is unknown.  We were also the first research group to publish the qualitative confirmation of DBM as a minor constituent of Glycyrrhiza glabra.  My current work examines androgen receptor (AR) signaling in prostate cancer development and progression; and, the AR and its co-activators (such as heat shock proteins, cytokines and prostatic markers) as molecular targets of DBM for the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer.