Charities often try to solicit your philanthropic dollars by promising, in return for your contribution, a cure for cancer. Or heart disease. Or spinal cord injury. But are the research institutions that receive these dollars set up in the best way to find these cures? Some scientists may be too focused on doing science for its own sake and forget why they are working in the first place. In the words of Dr. Harold Varmus, Nobel laureate and president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, researchers need to be reminded of the goal: “to improve the health of our citizens and citizens elsewhere.”
Varmus spoke on Nov. 26 at the Sick Kids Research Institute annual retreat, a gathering of scientists, trainees, technicians, and postdoctoral fellows currently conducting research at Sick Kids Hospital. In his keynote speech, Varmus identified 10 key factors that allow research institutions to return to their primary goals. These factors included increasing funding and lab space, motivating the faculty, and extending recruitment and training programs. His own institution has undergone substantial changes since his leadership began in 2000, with department rearrangements, expanded core lab facilities, and the creation of a new graduate student program.
“[We should] ensure that the research that we’re doing in the laboratory is well-coordinated with what is happening in our hospital,” said Varmus.
The new PhD program at MSK highlights the connection between basic research and clinical treatment by pairing each student with a clinical mentor. Students connect with clinics at the hospital, learning to approach cancer as a disease—not just a research interest.
Varmus pointed out many treatments that have evolved because of advances in basic research. By pinpointing the cancerous mutations of the tyrosine kinase enzyme found in chronic myeloid leukemia, researchers were able to develop treatments that work by specifically inhibiting those cancer cells.
Many medications are suited only to patients with a specific mutation. In order to identify which recipients will respond best, basic research has come to the rescue again. Genetic tests now help doctors choose medications based on the mutations that need to be targeted, increasing the chance that a patient will respond favourably to a chosen treatment.
Varmus also touched on another of his champion causes: open access to scientific publications.
“We need access to everything that’s known and been published,” Varmus said.
He explained that since most research is publicly funded—either philanthropically or through government—the people who fund the research should be able to access the results. This includes teachers, journalists, patients, and, of course, scientists.
“There are over 6,000 journals in biology and medicine, and no one, not even the biggest institutions, can afford them all,” said Varmus.
Although clearly motivated by this topic, he was unfortunately unable to elaborate further on how to accomplish this greater dissemination of scientific discovery, pointing out that an in-depth discussion on the topic could fill its own session at a conference.
We can expect that scientists are conducting research with noble intentions. It is, however, important that all aspects of research, including the structure and attitudes of the institutions, promote the translation of basic science into practical treatments for patients around the world. It is in this critical step—the application of pure knowledge—that life-saving treatments are made.
