p53
The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
All of us have lurking in our DNA a most remarkable gene, which has a crucial job – it protects us from cancer. Known simply as p53, this gene constantly scans our cells to ensure that they grow and divide without mishap, as part of the routine maintenance of our bodies. If a cell makes a mistake in copying its DNA during the process of division, p53 stops it in its tracks, summoning a repair team before allowing the cell to carry on dividing. If the mistake is irreparable and the rogue cell threatens to grow out of control, p53 commands the cell to commit suicide. Cancer cannot develop unless p53 itself is damaged or prevented from functioning normally.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, p53 is the most studied single gene in history.
This book tells the story of medical science's mission to unravel the mysteries of this crucial gene, and to get to the heart of what happens in our cells when they turn cancerous. Through the personal accounts of key researchers, p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code reveals the fascination of the quest for scientific understanding, as well as the huge excitement of the chase for new cures – the hype, the enthusiasm, the lost opportunities, the blind alleys, and the thrilling breakthroughs. And as the long-anticipated revolution in cancer treatment tailored to each individual patient's symptoms begins to take off at last, p53 remains at the cutting edge.
This timely tale of scientific discovery highlights the tremendous recent advances made in our understanding of cancer, a disease that affects more than one in three of us at some point in our lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Science writer Armstrong (A Matter of Life and Death: Inside the Hidden World of the Pathologist) conveys all the excitement and determination of the scientists who have relentlessly chipped away at the mystery of a workhorse gene known as p53, "the common denominator of cancers," in hopes of improving cancer research and treatment. Armstrong writes that scientists "working on the front line" of p53 research "believe we are on the threshold of a golden age in cancer prevention and cure." She makes accessible to the public a scientific mystery that she personally finds fascinating, speaking directly to many of the key players involved in p53 research and adeptly unwinding the difficulties confronting them since the gene's discovery in 1979. Armstrong takes fascinating side trips along the way, relating how p53 was used in "nailing Big Tobacco" by proving the link between smoking and cancer and revealing its role in the relationship between cancer and aging. She succeeds in her goal to "stand clear of those ledgers full of data as far as possible and tell the story of some of the curious, obsessive, competitive minds that to unravel the deepest mysteries of cancer."