Thomas was diagnosed with melanoma. Scans revealed it had spread to his necks, lungs and livers. Once he went to the clinic he was down to about a month and a half. Genomics found that there was a mutation in a certain gene. The goal is that if you can inhibit that gene you may be able to stop it. Thomas had the mutation and he could now use a drug to neutralize the affects. BRAF is a mutation that singles cells to divide uncontrollably. The drug binds to this protein and kills only cancer cells and nothing else. Thomas then got back to his normal life after two months. But it wasn’t over then. Cancer cells can evolve to resist drugs. New mutations can arise with the resistance. Tom then had to take a second drug. The scans showed regrowth in a limited area. The drug gave him a lot longer to live even though there were side
Thomas was diagnosed with melanoma. Scans revealed it had spread to his necks, lungs and livers. Once he went to the clinic he was down to about a month and a half. Genomics found that there was a mutation in a certain gene. The goal is that if you can inhibit that gene you may be able to stop it. Thomas had the mutation and he could now use a drug to neutralize the affects. BRAF is a mutation that singles cells to divide uncontrollably. The drug binds to this protein and kills only cancer cells and nothing else. Thomas then got back to his normal life after two months. But it wasn’t over then. Cancer cells can evolve to resist drugs. New mutations can arise with the resistance. Tom then had to take a second drug. The scans showed regrowth in a limited area. The drug gave him a lot longer to live even though there were side