NEWS in SCIENCE
What the Fish?
By T.P.
So, cancer sucks, right? It is something you do not wish on your worst enemy. Not only does cancer suck, but so does the treatment to make it better. You get sick. You are always tired. You throw up. Life is just not any fun at that point.
Chemotherapy is a type of that crappy medicine that doctors choose to kill the cancer cells. Almost everybody with cancer must go through it because it is a generalized treatment. But wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a medicine that could be specific for your mom, or dad, or grandparent that is sick? This way they might not have to go through chemo. This is not to say that they won’t be sick, but it could be an option that could make them less sick.
Who doesn’t love fish? They are colorful and bright and mind their own business in the water (for the most part). There is a certain fish that is not so colorful that is extremely helpful in medicine and studying cancer. It is see-through and a type of zebrafish.
@Nicky Loh/Reuters
Doctors and researchers at Harvard University are putting cancer cells into these zebrafish using a process called xenotransplantation. The doctors can see what the cancer cells look like in their early stages of life. They can also see how the cancer cells like to move through the body. This zebrafish’s cells help with fast drug testing. It is like a two for one special.
Knowing the what and how of the cancer cells is important. Doctors can choose a medicine that is going to work the best for the type of cancer a person has. By doing this, there is a chance that less people will take chemotherapy. Although chemotherapy is a common option, it is not the best option in all cases. Every person is special, so their medicine should be special, too.
Fazio and Zon (2017). Fishing for answers in precision cancer medicine. PNAS 114(39). 10306-10308.26 Sept 2017. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/09/14/1713769114
Please send any questions or comments to Dr. Spitzer (spitzern@marshall.edu )
Note: Any opinions expressed in these articles are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of Dr. Spitzer, the Department of Biological Sciences, or Marshall University.