Academy of Achievement: ATV Curriculum Center: The Genetic Revolution and the Cure for Cancer -> Student Handout

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The Genetic Revolution and the Cure for Cancer

Student Handout

PROGRAM GUESTS

STEVEN A. ROSENBERG, M.D., Ph.D.

Steven A. Rosenberg is Chief of Surgery at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. He is an innovative leader in the battle against cancer. Dr. Rosenberg earned his medical degree at Johns Hopkins University and his doctorate in biophysics from Harvard. During his residency training in surgery, he became interested in the mysteries of the human immune system. In 1970 Dr. Rosenberg joined the National Cancer Institute and went on to pioneer the development of the first effective immunotherapies for patients with advanced cancer. He helped initiate the development of gene therapy and became the first surgeon to successfully insert foreign genes into humans. This brilliant surgeon-researcher is the recipient of numerous international honors including the recent designation as America's "Scientist of the Year."

NANCY WEXLER, Ph.D.

Nancy Wexler is Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at Columbia University in New York City. Her mother and uncles were afflicted by Huntington's disease, an inherited brain disorder that impairs nerve control and thinking (victims are unable to walk, stand or even speak intelligibly). She made her life's work the search for the single, dominant gene that killed her mother, and which she has a 50-50 chance of having herself. Dr. Wexler went on to spearhead an international scientific effort that led, a year ago, to the discovery of the gene that causes Huntington's. She has also become the leading expert on the traumas associated with genetic testing. Dr. Wexler is the recipient of the highest honor in American medicine for "groundbreaking research and for increasing awareness of all genetic disease."

BACKGROUND

The genetic revolution has put into the hands of human beings powers that a few years ago could only be imagined. Genetic engineering has had a major influence on science and business and has begun to alter medicine and agriculture. Genetic engineering techniques have made possible large-scale production of certain medicinally-useful substances such as insulin and interferons.

Today, more than 50 genetic tests for hereditary diseases are available. By the turn of the century, DNA tests are certain to be a routine part of medical examinations. From a single sample of a patient's blood, doctors will be able to spot genetic mutations that signal the approach not only of rare hereditary diseases, but also common killers, including breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Knowing a patient's genetic predispositions will be central to preventative medicine, a keystone of health care reform.

GENETIC REVOLUTION IN MEDICINE
by Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D.

This is an extraordinary era in the biological and medical sciences. Our knowledge of the genetic basis of life and disease is increasing at a rapid pace. Almost daily, human genes are being identified, cloned and sequenced and their roles in basic life processes delineated. The application of knowledge from this genetic revolution can be used to improve the quality of human life and combat disease.

Genetic manipulations ranging from the development of more productive crops to the curing of disease will touch all of us in the years to come. The application of modern genetic research has the potential to completely change the practice of medicine in the next century. From the time of Hippocrates to the present, physicians have utilized external forces such as scalpels, drugs or radiation beams to directly attack disease processes such as cancer and infectious diseases. The success of these approaches has been dramatic. Smallpox, once the cause of millions of deaths each year, has now been eradicated and the last case of smallpox on this planet occurred in 1977. Four decades ago polio was the fear of every parent and child. This disease has now been virtually eradicated and not a single new case was reported in the Western hemisphere last year. However, some diseases have been refractory to these treatments and in the United States last year 515,000 Americans died of cancer and even more of heart disease. To control these problems new treatment approaches that affect the body's own natural defense mechanisms against disease are being developed. In May 1989, we first introduced foreign genes into humans and a new door was opened to an important application of modern genetic research.

Genetic manipulation in humans is an entirely new approach to treating disease and has been referred to as gene therapy. In gene therapy foreign genes are introduced into humans, either to bring new functions to the human body or to correct inborn defects. In 1994, physicians are no longer limited to the properties of human cells and human physiology that nature has naturally provided to the sick patient. Using modern tools of gene manipulation, we can now introduce properties into human cells that have never existed before in the course of evolution. The opportunities that this presents to prevent or treat disease by changing the basic genetic makeup of humans have extraordinary implications and are now being widely pursued by scientists and medical researchers around the world.

But with this immense power to manipulate the gene pool of plants, animals and humans comes enormous responsibilities as well. As with any new technology, it can be used to benefit or it can be abused and it is the responsibility of all for us to see that this new technology is applied wisely. Genetic characterization of humans and the possible ability to predict future human characteristics raises significant ethical problems as does the ability to introduce genes into germ cells that can affect future generations.

With increased understanding of modern genetics has come a humbling view of the role of humans in the earth's ecosystem. The entire human DNA differs from that of the pigmy chimpanzee by only 1.6 percent. Humans represent only one of the two million species on this planet. As we begin this genetic revolution, we face the challenge of using this extraordinary tool to protect not only human life but also the fragile ecosystem that is planet earth.

PEOPLE AND PLACES
Students may already be familiar with the leading doctors or scientists in the world of genetics and medicine. Conduct a brainstorming session to review who they are and what their individual contributions are to cancer research. Name some of these trail-blazing scientists.

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The following places are important to any discussion regarding genetic research. Use this assignment as a geography quiz by locating the places on a map and describe their significance below:

Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York:
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland:
Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, New York City:

QUESTIONS FOR THE PROGRAM GUESTS
Think of two questions to ask the guests during the program. Write them below. (Possible questions: Does the environment impact your chance of getting cancer? What cancers can we prevent? Would you want to be genetically tested to predict if you will develop cancer?)

CAREER CORNER School to Work Transition
Studying genetics and science may not seem relevant to your future today, but they represent stepping stones to a meaningful career. A knowledge of these subjects will help you decide what is most interesting to you. This is very important because most people spend one-half of their waking time on the job. Investigate the following careers related to science and medicine. Find out what the person does on a daily basis, the educational and work experience required and where the work must be performed.