Reference no: EM13370854 , Length: 1200 words
Develop a cure for cancer.
Hypothetically speaking, of course (as many tumor biologists may argue that a single cure is impossible).
You can approach this assignment one of two ways:
1. Your "cure" may consist of a drug or treatment that would be intended for patients who already have cancer.
OR
2. Your "cure" may be preventative in nature (and would be administered to patients who have not been diagnosed with cancer, but may be at an increased risk of developing cancer).
What would the ideal cancer combatant look like? To guide you in tackling this vast task, begin by focusing on an aspect of cancer biology you found particularly intriguing this semester. Were you fueled by tumor viruses? Was your interest genetically focused on tumor suppressors and oncogenes, or epigenetics? Do you find the complex influence of the microenvironment challenging and a worthy target? What about the roles of the immune system or reactivated embryonic programs (such as EMT) on cancer progression and metastasis?
The Rules:
1. Your treatment cannot currently exist, but may be a novel combination of existing treatments.
(Therefore, reading Ch. 16 will be critical as it discusses current strategies and challenges for the treatment of cancer.)
2. You are not required to worry about efficacy, toxicity, or other setbacks of human trials.
3. You may focus on one particular population (of people), however I encourage you to think on a more universal scale.
4. Your treatment does not have to be a drug! (Can you think of creative ways to combat cancer that may involve natural products or practices)?
5. Detail how your treatment works (with supporting evidence for your idea), the impact it would have on cancer as we understand it (would it prevent transformation? Malignancy? Metastasis?), and limitations of your idea (i.e. possible side effects, assumptions you have
made, identification of areas that require more research).
6. You must integrate peer-reviewed primary literature to support your idea.