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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 1998)
The Battalion rs Monday • March 2 Science Briefs Cells provide early warning signals NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A new test that detects the genetic foot prints of cancer cells gives an earlier warning when cancer has spread be yond the prostate, researchers say. It could indicate which newly diag nosed patients should be treated right away to suppress cancer outside the prostate, and maybe spare some men from having unnecessary surgery, said Dr. Anna Ferrari of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Prostate cancer is the second lead ing cancer killer in American men, with an expected death toil this year of 39,200. Some 184,500 cases are ex pected to be diagnosed this year. If it is caught while confined to the prostate, it can be cured by removing or irradiating the prostate. Currently, doctors must look at nearby lymph nodes under a micro scope to see if there is any sign that cancer has spread there. If not, the cancer is considered to be localized. The problem is the cancer can es cape the prostate and come back in about a third of those cases, appear ing in such places as the lymph nodes or bones. “We’re missing here a great deal of disease that we cannot see,” Ferrari, an oncologist, said in an interview be fore describing the new test Sunday at a conference presented by the Ameri can Cancer Society. Prostate experts said the test could become a useful guide to treatment, if it turns out to predict which patients are vulnerable to relapse. UT researchers use gene therapy on cam AUSTIN (AP) — Two University of Texas microbiology professors think they have a bet ter way to treat breast cancer tumors than cut ting, burning or poisoning them with chemotherapy. Jaquelin Dudley and Shelly Payne are banking on an experimental treatment based on gene therapy and two infectious organisms: a rare retrovirus that causes mammary tumors in some mice, and a common bacterium that causes dysentery in people. “It wouldn’t require any injection,” Dudley said of the treatment. She and Payne have received a $170,000 state grant to explore their theory in lab ex periments with mice. “You would eat it with a litde bit of sugar,” Dudley told the Austin American-Statesman for a story in Sunday’s editions. Gene therapy tries to cure diseases at their roots by replacing or modifying the abnormal genes that cause or contribute to cancers and other conditions. There are hundreds of gene-therapy trials under way around the world, but few use bac teria, if any. Retroviruses cause illnesses by copying part of their DNA into the genetic code of a host cell. People and animals get ill when the host cell’s DNA prints out multiple copies of the invading organism. The theory behind gene therapy is that once the harmful parts of the retrovirus are disabled, the healthy genes it delivers to cells will be copied into the host cell’s genetic code, curing the disease. However, there are problems, such as how to get enough copies of a healthy gene into the right places in a cell’s DNA to be effective with out triggering a counterattack of antibodies from the immune system. Dudley and Payne say they see hope of at tacking breast cancer with a retrovirus called mouse mammary tumor virus, which goes straight from a female mouse’s stomach to the cells of its mammary glands. Besides uncertainty over whether the vims will carry a healthy gene to a woman’s mam mary glands, tire researchers also have to find a way of sneaking it past the digestive chemi cals in her stomach. The vims would not survive in the stomach of even an adult mouse, so nature has arranged for it to be passed from one genera tion of mice to another in mother’s milk. Once in an infant mouse’s immature stomach, the vims hitches a ride to the mammary glands on “It (the treatment) wouldn’t require any injections.” Jaquelin Dudley UT researcher white blood cells. Dudley and Payne hope to evade the chemical roadblock by tucking the gene-car rying virus inside a shigella bacterium. Shigella has strong cell walls and other pro tective mechanisms to help it survive stom ach chemicals. The bacterium would get inside intestinal cells, then die, letting die virus genes take over, said Payne, former chair of the UT microbiol ogy department. The first step, in experimr take several months tocompk' if they can get the virus to deli genes to the mammary glanc mice. ^ Their first four attemptsfailec shigella proved unable to sur adult mouse’s stomach longenc. virus to get into white blood cell; strengthening the shigella with to bolster its cell walls, the reset cessfully infected a dozen labc. with the bacterium-virusdelhf and are waiting to see theresui: Eventually, they want to try use virus to make other deliveriestoik ry glands, such as toxic chemical' cer tumors or a set of genes tos .! immune system to do the job. If the idea proves effectiveintj ley and Payne plan to take the; the National Institutes of He: naiu ing of prelim inary trials to with breast cancer. "Ii wi mid just be so simple ifitw .j Dudley said. I Robots to provide doctors helping hand on battle! BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — It looks like a giant bionic fly that has found work as a tailor. It looms over a small table, moving its black metal arms and silver pincers quickly and silently. Elbows spread wide and camera-lens eyes unblinking, it deftly sews two rubber hoses together. About 12 feet away. Army Lt. Col. Christoph Kaufmann leans forward in his chair, peering down into a large black box. Below, he holds scissorlike handles at the end of two mechani cal ar ms. He too makes sewing motions. In fact, every move of his hands is mimicked instantly by the bionic fly. It’s a little like that scene in “The Wizard of Oz” when Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal the real wizard. And the reality here sounds just as fantastic: The device Kaufmann is demon strating may one day let surgeons behind the battle lines operate on soldiers at the front. The bionic fly is calledTeSS, for Telepresence Surgery System. The Pentagon has spent about $3 million for its development, and now it’s go ing to find out what TeSS can do. Within the next few months, Kaufmann and his military colleagues at the Uniformed Ser vices University of the Health Sciences will start putting it to tire test, operating on dummies, ca davers and anesthetized animals. And in two or three years, they will have a better idea how useful it could be on the battlefield. The idea is to do surgery at the front without putting surgeons in the line of fire. Still, it is clear that TeSS will not replace standard surgical care behind the lines, said Kaufmann, a trauma sur geon who sewed up soldiers in Operation Desert Storm. u Soldiers with simple wounds; j be evacuated. If an explosion T: u a leg, a medic will still apply a . vt get the soldier to human surge: n But on some future battlec whose lung has collapsed mighi: aj an armored vehicle, where as®t robot slips a tube into his l< whose face is so badly damap y breathe, might inhaleagainafttri* a hole in his throat. :r Traditions Council Presents: “How the Past creates the present, opening up the Archives of Texas A&M University”. Featuring Dr. David Chapman Thursday March 26, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. in Rudder Theatre Free Admission Join us in learning the fascinating history of Texas A&M from one of the leading experts on A&M history. Visit us at www.rtis.com/traditions-council. The Memorial Student Center ♦ ELS^ Executive Lecture Series Political T omm Memorial Student Center Executive Lecture Series & Political Forum Present Women in Government A Panel Discussion Tuesday, March 24, 1998 7:00 p.m. Forysth Gallery The views expressed are not necessarily those held by MSC Political Forum, the Memorial Student Center or Texas A&M University. Please indicate if any accommodations are required for individuals with disabilides. For further information call 845-1515. I DREAM A WORLD Portraits of Black Women Who Clmfi An Evening with Sonia Sanchez Presented by MSC Black Awareness C Professor and activist. Temple University Wednesday, March 25, 1998 Rudder Theater at 7 p m. $3 pre-sale $5 day of program 1 it Continuing the Traditions of Excellence and I An Afternoon with Gloria R. Scott President, Bennett College Thursday, March 26, 1998 Lecture and Booksigning J. Wayne Stark Galleries at 2 p.m. Free of charge Visit us online at http://bac.tamu.edu For more information call the MSC Black Awareness Committee at (409) 845-1515. 4v. I DREAM A WORM) is an n images ami portraits of Black women' -j; strides and has made a significant imfa' V people in America. 1 he exhibit hon most esteemed and profound Blade non. I he MSC Black AwarenesCflirU to invite two of those women femimi 't. Sonia Sarwltez and Gloria RmA \ Santhez is an activist and a Profow jj. temple University. She lus writtensoOm literary works such .i- and lie been a VCbrnan: NewardSdm^ C Xir other guest, C iloria Randle Saxo l at Bennett College and the fust Hack * yy as the national president of the Gill & Gloria R. Scott has held several other administrative positions at blackcolepis*'• three degrees. Don’t miss dieoppotwd^ prolific and distinguished Black worn® It Persons with disabilities please call #45-1515 to inform us of your special needs. Wo reqii' days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to tjjc best of our abilities. Nubian Festival African-American Achievement Awards Nominate the individual who exemplifies outstanding academic^ service, and leadership skills. THE AWARDS Excellence in Academics Reginald Broadus Award Outstanding Student Athlete Outstanding Student Involvement Effective Leadership Outstanding Community Service Outstanding Corps Member Salute to Faculty or Staff Member ^ m For more information please call 845-1515. Presented by the MSC Black Awareness Committee Pick up nomination forms in the MSC Student Programs Office Room 216T or submit nominations online at http://bac.tamu.edu Texas A&M Umve^ItTl^ SiweH± fem’cu'rli Klm f March 23-28, 1998 Support student research! More than 100 students will be giving oral and poster presentations showcasing their research efforts. Other events include: Wednesday, March 25 Opening presentation Thursday, March 26 Poster and oral competition Sigma Xi Workshop Friday, March 27 Chemistry Symposium Saturday, March 28 Society of Mexican-American Engineers and Scientists (MAES) Science Symposium For further details call Amy Montgomery at 845-8585 or Clifton Griffin at 845-8827 or visit the Student Research Week website at http://www.tamu.edu/ researchandgradstudies/Research/RESWEEK/resweek.html Th I p .rm Tiffany Inbody, Helen Clancy, Copy Chief Brad Graeber, Visual Arts Editor Robert Smith, City Editor Jeremy Furtick, Sports Editor Jeff Webb, Sports Editor James Francis, Aggielife Editor Editor in Chief Mandy Cater, Opinion Ed® Ryan Rogers, Photo Editff Chris Huffines, Radio Prot Sarah Goldston, Radio Pr® Dusty Moer, Web Editor Aaron Meier, Night NewsE Staff Members City- Amanda Smith, Stacey Becks, Susan Atchison, Kelly Hackworth, Lyndsay Nantz, Suzanne Riggs, Jennifer Wilson & Katy Llneberger. Science - Jill Reed. Sports - Assistant Editor: Jeff Schmidt; Michael Ferguson, Chris Ferrell, Travis Harsch, Robert Hollier, Al Lazarus, Colby Martin, Aaron Meier, Katie Mish, Philip Peter & Michael Taglienti. Aggielife - Marium Mohiuddin, Rhonda Reinhart, Chris Martin, Leah Templeton, Travis Hopper, April Towery, Travis Irby & Stephen Wells. Opinion - Len Calloway, Adam Collett, John Lemons, Donny Ferguson, Caleb McDaniel, Beverly Mireles, Manisha Parekh, Stewart Patton, Mickey Saloma, Joe Schumacher, Michelle Voss, Frank Stanford & Jennifer Jones. Night News - Joyce Bauer, Jaclynn! Shane Elkins & Aaron Meier. Photo - Assistant Editor: Brandon Bi McKay, Greg McReynolds, Mike Fue Francis & Jake Schrickling. Graphics - James Palmer, Chad MalW| Faulkner & J.P. Beato. Cartoonists - Ed Goodwin, John Len#J Hoffman, Gabriel Ruenes, Victor VansU Nordfelt and Quatro Oakley. Copy. Editors - Leslie Stebbins, Jeni# David Johnston, Martha Gidney, Pati®! Veronica Serrano. 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