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p53
The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code
By (author)
Sue Armstrong
Genres:
Medical genetics, Hereditary diseases & disorders, Popular science, Oncology, Genetics (non-medical)
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Synopsis
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. New & Used
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What Reviewers Are Saying
More than any textbook, article, or lecture could, this book offers a sip of contagious enthusiasm and a conviction that scientists will eventually "crack the cancer code" * Science * One of the best accounts I've read of how science is actually performed. -- Peter Forbes * The Guardian * A succinct, accessible study of humanity's genetic bulwark against cancer. * Nature * Ms. Armstrong(1)s book comes alive in the sections where she explores cancer(1)s human toll, including the devastating experience of families with rare genetic mutations, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which leaves children of parents with a faulty gene vulnerable to cancer at almost any age. She also captures the excitement of researchers as they come upon eureka moments. * Wall Street Journal * Armstrong paints a very human picture ... Not only does Armstrong make p53 understandable but she also sheds light on the scientific method. In an age of government austerity, highlighting the importance of scientific research is also a gift. * The Lancet * Armstrong has rendered, from what easily could have become a tangled web of complex science, a readable story of discovery. As in the best travel writing, it's not the destination that's important here, but the journey. This is not only a story about the gene on chromosome 17, nor only about the nature of cancer, but also about how science works. -- Ellen Bartlett * Boston Globe * Popularizing science is not an easy thing to do well ... but Sue Armstrong has managed to achieve this with style and aplomb. -- Philip Coates * Journal of Pathology * P53 ... is adeptly explored in this book by Armstrong, an accomplished science writer ... This book is fundamentally about how science is actually done - not the retelling of the story after the work is complete and the narrative scrubbed of imperfections, but rather about scientific progress in fits and starts. * Oncology Times * Sue Armstrong tells the story of this discovery by rival teams as if it were a detective story. I found it gripping. -- Matt Ridley * Wall Street Journal - best science books, 2015 *