WCVB reporter Jessica Brown shares the story of Heather Walker, vice president of public relations for the Boston Celtics, who is currently enrolled in a MIT glioblastoma research study. The team of MIT researchers are examining “the tumor’s DNA, looking for gene mutations and abnormal proteins that make it unique,” says Brown. “With that information, the group designs a custom vaccine that trains the body’s immune system to recognize the cancerous cells and attack them.”
WCVB reporter Maria Stephanos shares the experience of Heather Walker, vice president of public relations for the Boston Celtics, who is enrolled in an MIT glioblastoma research study. Walker’s family and friends have created the Heather Walker Fund for Glioblastoma Research at Dana Farber, where “all the money raised will go to supporting a glioblastoma research study at MIT [that is] using immunotherapy and personalized vaccines,” says Stephanos.
Writing for The New York Times, Prof. Amy Finkelstein emphasizes the effectiveness of randomized clinical trials. Finkelstein notes that she hopes “truly rigorous testing of social policy will become as commonplace as it is for new vaccines. That would help ensure that government services are delivered as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
In an article for Science, Jocelyn Kaiser writes about how Prof. Robert Weinberg’s company, Verastem Inc., is starting a new round of clinical trials to test the theory that by targeting cancer stem cells, the disease can be controlled.