AAAS ANNUAL SCIENCE MEETING:SCIENTISTS ARE reading the genetic code of cancer to learn its secrets and find powerful new ways to destroy it.
The initiative is based on mapping the genetic blueprint of cancer cells using the latest technologies and then turning the resulting information into more effective medical treatments.
The latest discoveries on this complex scientific frontier will be explained by researchers today in San Diego. The city plays host for the next five days to the largest public scientific gathering in the world where people have the opportunity to talk to working scientists of all disciplines and hear about the latest advances.
The annual meeting, now more than 160 years old, is organised each year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In keeping with developments in previous years it offers an eclectic and interesting mix of science. The contributions this year include research into one of the most intelligent animals in the world – dolphins; studies into how to get the most from green electric cars; and the latest on what lurks in dust around the house.
Ways in which powerful new genetic technologies are being used to tackle one of humanity’s greatest foes, cancer, will be discussed at a special session on translational medicine. The scientists will talk about how mapping the genetic blueprint of tumours should help researchers find and attack cancers in a new and more effective way.
This paper in turn links to a further four research studies published yesterday evening in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Its key message is that cancer treatments will, in the future, be defined by the patient’s genetic make-up rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
The theme chosen for this year’s conference is Bridging Science and Society. It highlights the significance of science in our lives and the growing need for people to acquire a better understanding of research and its pivotal importance.
“It also calls on scientists and engineers to make their work both beneficial and understandable and on society to discover again the excitement and hope that research and its findings offer,” said president of the association Prof Peter Agre. Prof Agre won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2003.
The Irish Times will provide daily and in-depth coverage of the meeting, giving a flavour of the 147 scientific presentations scheduled to take place between today and next Monday. The event is expected to attract up to 8,000 visitors from 50 countries.
Highlights during the week include sessions on controlling and disposal of nuclear weapons; the eradication of HIV without a resort to vaccines; global warming and the demands for a new kind of geo-engineering; research related to the contentious use of human embryonic stem cells; and efforts to catalogue life in the oceans.