HAPPY NEW YEAR! (now for a little biology)

Patches tries to smother Linda in loose fur.

 



Okay, enough pussy-footing around.  We need to tackle PARP Inhibitors head on, wrestle them to the earth, and stomp on them.  What, you don’t have any idea what a PARP Inhibitor is, and furthermore you don’t give a damn?  Shame on you, and who cares about you, anyway?  I’m mainly writing this thing in the fervent hope that “PARP Inhibitor”, which I have looked up at least a dozen times, finally will stick in my head.”

First, definitions:  PARP code for “poly ADP ribose polymerase”.  Does that help?  Of course not.  “poly   you understand.  Polymerase is something that causes rapid duplication of a biochemical thing to occur. The term "ribose" refers to the structure of the molecule and is of no earthly significance here.  It turns out that ADP stands for adenosine diphosphate.   ADP is essential in the transfer of energy within cells, and so PARP refers to the mass production of something that is essential to life.  Add “Inhibitor” and you are referring to something that Inhibits life.  Now, why in heaven’s name would you want to do that?

Well, cancer cells are “life”, so we should inhibit the hell out of them.   The problem, of course, is to target cancer cells without shutting down all the rest of the organism at the same time.  Part of the answer lies in the fact that cancer cells divide and multiply much faster than normal cells, and thus toss up more potentially fatal DNA-replication errors to “inhibit”.  Also, many kinds of cancers have defective “repair” proteins, such as the well-known BRCA1 and 2 that are so important in ovarian and breast cancer, hence can’t fix the damage, whereas normal cells with normal BRCA can.  Ah, but something is missing so far.  The protein PARP1 fixes single-strand breaks in DNA, and if these breaks are not repaired double-stranded errors can ensue WHICH, in the absence of functional repair proteins, will cause the cell to croak.      

It appears that the complete activity of PARP proteins is not fully understood.  Many trials are underway.  Several drugs already have been tested – and failed.  Clovis Oncology has three PARP Inhibitor drugs in clinical trial right now, and other drug companies are in the hunt.  Can we allow ourselves to be optimistic?    Well, maybe.

 

THE RICHEST GUY IN L.A.. And possibly the most valuable

Leaving a swank floating restaurant on the Nile

No, she is not holding me up.  It costs too much to get drunk in Egypt

The richest guy in Los Angeles also may well be the smartest, is possibly the most hard working and – using my criteria – almost certainly the most valuable.  His name is Patrick Soon-Shiong and he is – you guessed it – a cancer researcher.  By training he is a medical doctor.  He made billions developing drugs.  He owns part of the L.A. Lakers and is on good terms with Kobe Bryant.  In short, he is not very much like you or me.  Nevertheless, I am very happy that there are such folks in the world.  We need lots more of them. I wish I were one. 

 Dr. Soon-Shiong is featured in a recent 60 Minutes episode:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/billionaire-doctor-fights-cancer-in-unconventional-way/

which in turn  is summarized, analyzed and criticized in Forbes magazine as follows:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidshaywitz/2014/12/08/60-minutes-cancer-doctors-revolutionary-idea-taking-big-data-seriously/ 

Dr. S-S exemplifies my take on how to make progress in the war on cancer.  He is free to follow where his training and instincts lead.  He isn’t required to dive into the pit and wrestle thousands of other supplicants for NIH money, nor does he need to worry that a jury of his scientific peers will deem his project too chancy to support.  He can use all the new technology he can lay his hands on, and to explore any avenue that HE –as an acknowledged expert in the field – regards as promising.  He can go where his instincts and training lead him.  And, not the least blessing,  he doesn't have to write grant proposals.

As pointed out in the Forbes article, little or none of the methods and concepts that Dr S-S plans to use are original with him.  What is original is that fact that he knows about all these things, how they work, what they are good for, and how they might complement each other - and has the means, the energy, and the resources – to put them to work.

We can’t reasonably expect a whole swarm of Dr. Soon-Shiongs to emerge suddenly and bring cancer to its knees, but we MIGHT be able to swing a well-supported governmental agency with someone like Dr. S in charge.  Right, Cliff?  

I would like to write more but I am using a new computer that seems determined to put me in my place.  It took me one hour, and at least 20 tries, to get this far.  Probably slower than my old typewriter. 



BAH! HUMBUG!

Linda, appropriately clad for the season

It is time to face facts: this computer is toast.  I have spent most of the day wrestling with it, with very little useful result.  I cannot post to Facebook, I cannot use Word, and I have to wrestle with cryptic pop-up messages of doom every few minutes.  So, Saturday I will drive to the big city and buy something newer and presumably better.  Then I may see how many times I can skip this one on the Salton Sea.  Here is all I want to say right now:

As usual, I ask that you do not give me presents for Christmas.  Cards are welcome, of course.  If you feel so inclined, give a gift to Fred Hutch, using this web  address:

http://getinvolved.fhcrc.org/site/TR?pg=fund&fr_id=1050&pxfid=2861

As of this moment it will be matched by some anonymous benefactor, who has pledged $100K for the purpose;.  If you do donate, please remember to direct your donation to ovarian cancer research. Hell, let me get in the spirit of the thing, too:  I will match any donations from now until 12/31 - up to a total of $1K.  So, Merry Christmas, and stay sober.  This advice does not necessarily apply to me.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS?

Linda and Ella

                                                                      In her home

It’s wonderful.  The older I grow the more I know, but the less I am certain of.  Take my political philosophy, for instance.  I have always been a small-government, free trade, laissez faire conservative.  I reasoned that this is the best, quickest way to raise the living standards of a society.  It probably is.  But now and then I run headlong onto the story of someone badly marginalized by this political philosophy – which is still in the main the modus operandi of the United States and other rich nations, despite decades of efforts by so-called “progressives” to modify it.  These stories increasingly involve health care.  Here is an example:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/the-punishing-cost-of-cancer-care/?ref=health&_r=0

What to do?  Don’t ask me.  At 30 I knew.  Now I’m not so certain.

A PITIFUL PLEA

Enjoying the Olympics

And each other

Many of you have helped keep this blog spluttering along by bringing cancer-related news to my attention.  I am hereby asking you to re-double your efforts.  For reasons that I don’t fully understand my two attempts to volunteer in cancer research seem to be dying a lingering death – at least, I rarely can find reason to journey to Seattle and get involved in something.  (Well into my ninth  decade, perhaps my skill set is beginning to become obsolete.  You think?)  But, anyway, I can still read news articles, use Google Scholar to dig deeper – and summarize the stuff I learn, to accompany yet another nice picture of my beautiful wife.  I want to keep at it, so – please – if you run on something you think I might like, hesitate not, but drop me an immediate email.  All these addresses will work:

myrlbeck@msn.com

mebeckjr@gmail.com

Myrl.Beck@wwu.edu

Thanks.