I had an exciting discussion with a cancer researcher yesterday. He was trained as a neurosurgeon, learned molecular biology, and is currently developing novel treatment for cancer. WHY AM I INTERESTED IN CANCER?
As all of us know, cancer cells are tough and grow rapidly even under severe conditions. These cells always suffer from nutrient and oxygen deprivation because they grow so fast and need to steal food and energy from the host (i.e., a patient). So CANCER CELLS ARE RESISTANT TO CELL STRESSES especially endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress. THIS IS OPPOSITE TO WOLFRAM SYNDROME, DIABETES, or NEURODEGENERATION. Cells in our Wolfram syndrome patients are sensitive to cell stresses. By mimicking the molecular architecture of cancer cells, we may be able to MAKE OUR BETA CELLS AND NEURONS MORE RESISTANT TO CELL STRESSES. This should be achieved by drugs.
Thank you for reading this. I welcome any feedback from you.
Take care,
Fumi Urano