WICKED BIG C

 

“Our health is the dearest treasure we have.  The more we learn about the ways to protect it, the larger blessing it becomes”

Doctor Phil Tardani

 

The professor does not cease to surprise me. This time he had been invited to  attend a symposium on Cancer and Cell Mutations, that took place in Vesenaz, a small suburb of

Geneva

,

Switzerland

. My interest resulted from the fact that I had spent some of my childhood years in that lovely village and, also, I could not miss the opportunity to learn the latest about this terrible illness.

“Prof, I did not know that you were also interested in such scientific disciplines. I always thought that your research objectives in the Life Sciences remained within the areas of large scale prevention of the more common illnesses and continuous encouragement for research.”

“Wrong conclusion on your part” replied the Professor. I have done work on Genetics and recently have looked at the most deadly of all cellular deficiencies. Cancer is still a major killer; cure and treatment of some of its many forms so far, has enjoyed a modest success. As in the case of DNA manipulation in stem cells, cancerous genes demand a special treatment. The difference is that such cancer research does not attempt against any procedures that might offend moral, ethical or religious ideas as is the case with Stem Cell research.”

Like most of the Professor’s projects in these important areas, his contribution was not limited to funding but also to actual work in development and the time consuming activity in the coordination of the various entities and specialists involved. I became instantly curious; he would not engage in such a delicate area unless there was something that could yield positive results. I said:

“If you promise to explain to me in terms that can be understood by a Junior High student, I shall be glad to brew the coffee, cut a few pieces of that Belgian Coffee cake, warm them in the microwave and pour two modest shots of Remy Martin!”

He laughed and answered;

“Agreed.  While you busy yourself in the pantry, I shall look at my notes.”

In few minutes we sat down in front of the coffee table where the  tray of goodies and the coffee were on display. He begun:

“The starting point of this project is simply that the genes of a person with cancer have been successfully decoded and in the process they found a set of mutations that may be the cause of the disease.”

“How did they managed that?”

“The cells of a patient who died from leukemia sequenced all the DNA from her cancer cells  and that allowed for comparison with the DNA from her healthy cells. In the process, they identified several mutations in the cancer cells. These were responsible for abnormal growth and somehow neutralized the effects of chemotherapy, which has been partially successful in the elimination of mutant cells.”

Aware that the Professor would enlighten me and in the process throw at me a few hundred new scientific terms, I had to ask:

“What the heck is that DNA genome sequence that seems so popular this day? Popular among the learned ones, that is.”

‘Think of DNA as a string of pearls, except that we call the pearls nucleotides and the string a genome. Now, what they discussed in Vesenaz was an update on some of the more salient conclusions of the Human Genome Project in the year 2000, which produced the largest DNA sequence ever assembled.”

“How about that ‘sequencing’ that is often mentioned/’

“It is a biochemical method used to determine the order of bases in the nucleotide string and from there identification can be made of mutants and other deficiencies. Since cancer is strictly a disease of the genome, it is important to know about the rules that affect some of those components that take the wrong way!”

We honored some of the cake and after a cautious sip of the cognac, I asked the Professor:

“Where do stem cells figure in all this?’

“So far we can only guess. The field of application is limitless. In few words, my friend, stem cells can be used in what I would call ‘tissue engineering’, or the possibility to patch up or build entire sections of organs using the patient’s own cells. This way if you rebuild some tissue or organ in your body, you will not need that eternal need to take strong medicines that will protect you against rejection.”

I continued to be amazed at the possibilities that new scientific investigations are beginning to suggest eventual cure for all ailments and probably eternal life. I said so.

The Professor laughed:

“Not so fast, my friend. Do not plan to stem cell yourself and expect that there will be a marked improvement in your ballroom dancing or, more important, in your golf game. My own research of your aptitudes in such important fields is that there is no hope!”