This is the first blog in a three-part series about Genome Sequencing and Predicting Cancer. Technology called next generation sequencing can be used to reveal… Read More »Sequencing our Genes: Is Cancer Written in our DNA?
I was listening to the radio as I was driving in my car, and the lyrics in the song struck me. It went something like… Read More »The True Age of Cancer is Different Than You Might Think
I entered uncharted territory when I began the feature story for the latest issue of the Kimmel Cancer Center's magazine Promise & Progress. I was… Read More »Engineering Cures
Recent news that the FDA will not approve the use of the drug Avastin for breast cancer has many patients who have benefitted questioning why. … Read More »Avastin: Good Drug, Bad Decision?
Kimmel Cancer experts frequently say that “the best way to cure cancer is to prevent it from ever occurring.” Most experts agree that currently-available cancer… Read More »Cancer Screening Tests Everyone Should Know
In my “other” life, outside of Johns Hopkins, I am a devoted lacrosse mom, spending most of my weekends at the lacrosse field supporting my son… Read More »Lacrosse vs Childhood Cancer
Whether it’s making a sticky, rubbery substance like Flubber, turning a clear solution blue, or figuring out how a normal cell turns into a cancer cell, it’s all science.
Those of us at the Kimmel Cancer Center think science is cool, and we’re hoping, with the right introduction, young students will begin to think so too; or a least become inspired to think about it a little more.
To help in this cause, each year, our doctors, researchers, and nurses host fifth graders from the East Baltimore Community School to give them a hands-on glimpse of what it’s like to be a scientist. The children conduct experiments and play games to learn about the kind of work researchers do.
It is truly an exciting time in cancer discovery. Discoveries in cancer genetics, immunology, and cancer stem cells are leading us to new, personalized therapies that target the specific cells and cellular alterations that drive the cancer. For children, this represents a huge step forward, as this new generation of treatments will not be as toxic to healthy tissue and cells, and, therefore, may spare young patients the lasting side effects that often result from cancer treatment. These discoveries also offer new opportunities to better understand and make real progress against those pediatric cancers that do not respond to existing treatments.
Pediatric Cancer Research Advances of 2010
BREAKING NEWS – First Pediatric Cancer Genome Mapped
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers have led the world in mapping the genetic blueprints of several common adult cancers, and now, our scientists have become the first to decipher the genetic code of a pediatric cancer. Their findings were reported in the December 16, 2010, issue of the journal Science. Using sophisticated new gene sequencing technologies, the team mapped the genetic sequence of medulloblastoma, the most common type of pediatric brain cancer. As suspected, this analysis clearly shows that genetic changes in pediatric cancers are remarkably different from adult tumors. The work revealed fewer genetic alterations than are typically found in adult tumors, and the researchers believe this may make it easier to use the findings to develop new therapies. The research also uncovered epigenetic alterations, biochemical variations that occur to the environment of genes and have the ability to turn genes on and off without mutating them, as a more significant culprit in pediatric cancer than commonly thought. Using drugs to block the abnormal biochemical activity can return normal gene function and stop the development of cancer cells. Information like this, gained from gene sequencing technology, could potentially help our team change the course of some relentless childhood cancers. As a result, we hope to continue this work in other pediatric cancers.
Read More »Promise, Progress, and Hope for the Youngest Cancer Patients
The Top Ten of 10
As we look ahead to a 2011 filled with new cancer discoveries, let’s take a moment to revisit the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s top advances of 2010:
#1: Personalized Cancer Medicine Becomes a Reality
World renowned investigator Bert Vogelstein, M.D., and team pioneered the science that has led to personalized therapies for cancer patients. Within the next few years all cancer patients at the Kimmel Cancer Center will have their tumors analyzed to reveal a unique genetic “fingerprint” that represents the combination of genetic and epigenetic alterations specific to their cancer. Targeting these alterations, say the scientists, will improve treatments outcomes, thwart cancers before they develop, and speed new cancer drug discoveries.
I got into this business 25 years ago, when my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. I was a newlywed, and at 22-years-old, I faced the prospect of being a widow. The evening we learned the shocking news, I remember leaving the hospital to return home. I was numb with fear. I went into our bedroom and picked up the T-shirt he had casually dropped on the bed before we left for what we believed would be a brief doctor’s visit. I didn’t expect to be returning to our home alone. I pressed the shirt to my face and breathed in his scent and sobbed uncontrollably.
Read More »Getting Personal About Personalized Cancer Medicine