Arsenal of Hope: Revolution in Genetics Creates New Weapons in the War on Cancer.
[The following article appeared in The Wall Street Journal, issue of May 6, 1998. Blocking a 'Helper Protein'] The war on cancer, fought for three decades marked by failure and frustration, suddenly is in overdrive. Just a few weeks ago, reports rocked the medical world about two drugs that show promise in preventing breast cancer. This week, Wall Street and Main Street alike went wild over word of a bold experimental drug that wiped out tumors in mice. These approaches are in very early stages of development and, even if all goes well, will require years of human testing before they can move into widespread usage. But they underscore a much bigger story: A quiet revolution in genetics has brought scientists closer than ever before to finding an actual cure for cancer. The drugs that made headlines this week use the promising approach of blocking a tumor's blood vessels. Even farther along in development, however, is a whole new generation of gene-based drugs aimed at a strikingly broad range of cancers. Human testing is already under way for this new arsenal, which looks to be far more powerful and far less toxic than anything tried before.
Langreth
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The Wall Street Journal, New York, New York, USA.