For everyone whose life has been touched by cancer, One Renegade Cell tells the story of the search for the ultimate causes of this dreaded disease.. One of the leading cancer researchers in the world, Robert A. Weinberg is perfectly suited to describe the search for cancers origins from the early days of this century to the present. Presuming little knowledge of biology, he tells how a cancer-causing virus was first discovered in 1909, how the correlation was made between chemical carcinogens and cancer, and how oncogenes (the genes that can turn a cell malignant) work. He explains clearly how malignant cells send messages to one another and also block the messages of normal cells. Finally, Weinberg predicts that cancer prevention may depend on our ability to understand the mysterious chemical clock that regulates our cells most basic functions. One Renegade Cell offers a concise, accessible route into the complex and often daunting world of cancer and cancer research. }Cancer research has reached a major turning point. The quality and quantity of information gathered about this disease in the past twenty years has revolutionized our understanding of its origins and behavior. No one is better qualified to comment on these dramatic leaps forward than molecular biologist Robert A. Weinberg, director of one of the leading cancer research centers in the world. In One Renegade Cell , Weinberg presents an accessible and state-of-the-art account of how the disease begins and how, one day, it will be cured.Weinberg tells how the roots of cancer were uncovered in 1909 and when the first cancer-causing virus was discovered. He then moves forward to the discovery of the role of chemical carcinogens and radiation in triggering cancer, and relates the remarkable story of the discoveries of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, the master controllers of normal and malignant cell proliferation. This book, which presumes little prior knowledge of biology, describes the revolution in biomedical research that has finally uncovered the forces driving malignant growth. Drawing on insights that simply were not available until recently, the discoveries presented in One Renegade Cell have already begun to profoundly alter the way that we diagnose and treat human cancers. }
"Cancer wreaks havoc in almost every part of the human body"--Robert Weinberg's opening remark is a chilling reminder of the pervasiveness of an all-too- familiar disease. Cancer touches most families and if you have ever wondered why, despite so much time, effort and money, it has proved such a seemingly intractable problem, then read
One Renegade Cell, Robert Weinberg's masterful explanation. As Director of the Oncology Research Laboratory at the Whitehead Institute and Professor of Biology at M.I.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Weinberg has been at the forefront of cancer research for well over a decade.
Unlike most diseases, cancerous tumours are not foreign invaders but "take on the appearance of alien life forms, invaders that enter the body through stealth and begin their programs of destruction from within." But as Weinberg shows these are deceptive appearances. And since he is foremost a scientist, he finds the truth "subtle and endlessly interesting" and manages to convey this fascination for something that most of us dread--cancer. Much of the present increase in cancer is due to increased longevity because "given enough time, cancer will strike every human body".
By telling the story of the historical discovery of cancer, Weinberg is able to introduce gradually the intricacies and complications of the genes and proteins involved (oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes etc) for the general reader. He characterises cancer cells as renegade because unlike normal body cells, they "disregard the needs of the community of cells", they are "selfish and unsociable", only interested in "their own proliferative advantage." By comparison, normal cells hold down cell numbers by "inducing them to commit suicide" (apoptosis).
The understanding of cancer has been developed enormously over the last few decades by Weinberg and the worldwide community of researchers. As Weinberg eloquently shows, cancer research and its related disciplines "have moved from substantial ignorance to deep insight."
The book is published as one of a series of Science Masters, of which a dozen have been published. They are designed to help the popularisation of science and are written by established and well-known scientists. The authors, such as Richard Dawkins (River out of Eden), Richard Leakey (The Origin of Humankind) and Lynn Margulis (The Symbiotic Planet) are also known for their ability to communicate science to a general readership. --Douglas Palmer
