Cells are Cells

It is one of the ironies of my life lately that I, the non-science person, find myself writing a lot about science. Earlier this week, I spent a few hours at Princeton with the scientist (Ph.D.) who is overseeing the molecular analysis of the cancer tumors that are being removed from shelter dogs with mammary tumors. It was, to say the least, absolutely fascinating, even if I did not understand all of the science behind the protocol and the procedure.

What I did understand, however, was the importance of this project and how desperately they need a benefactor. The similarities between spontaneous occurring cancer in dogs and humans is remarkable and the opportunity to study the linear progression of a tumor from pre-malignant to malignant is significant.

I saw the canine tumors in the freezer and the state of the art lab where the analysis takes place, one of the few places that is able to analyze both the tissue samples in terms of their molecular composition as well as their significance. The preliminary work is very exciting and looks extremely promising--not only in terms of being able to measure which genes are different between the normal cells and those with cancer--but also in terms of being able to identify the genes that are only altered between canine patients when they become cancerous.

Funding remains the biggest challenge to this project and hopefully some will soon materialize before the seed money dries up. The plan is to have thirty dogs (which means about 180 tumors) enrolled in the study by the summer and then to go to work analyzing the tissue samples.

"It is hard to get noticed by traditional funding sources who fail to see the connection between canine and human cancer," my scientist told me. "The bottom line is cells are cells and cancer is cancer."

Here's hoping this important work continues.