Cell Dwelling

Newcastle Herald

Saturday September 13, 2008

Kylie Williams

CANCER researcher Professor Elizabeth Blackburn says the best thing about being named as one of Time Magazine's top 100 most influential people is that it raises awareness of the benefits of science and her research.

Professor Blackburn, 59, was in Newcastle this week as a speaker at a Hunter Medical Research Institute cancer conference. She also spoke at a public lecture on cancer research with internationally renowned University of Newcastle and Calvary Mater breast cancer researcher Professor John Forbes.

Originally from Tasmania, Professor Blackburn got her bachelor and master of science degrees from the University of Melbourne before doing a PhD at Cambridge and postdoctoral work at Yale.

She made Time Magazine's 100 most influential people list in 2007 because her research has unlocked the mystery to why cancer cells keep growing.

While Professor Blackburn was honoured to make the list she said the most pleasing aspect was it made the general public aware of research into cancer.

"It's more important that it draws attention to the science and helps educate people," she said.

Professor Blackburn, a professor of biology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, has discovered a protein called telomerase, which is normally involved in the repair of chromosomes but also plays a part in the growth of cancer cells.

In a healthy cell telomerase protects the ends which can be worn down by things such as stress and ageing.

But in a damaged cell the telomerase encourages the growth of cancer cells.

"It seems to be just fine in normal cells," she said. "It's only when a cell has things wrong with it that the telomerase becomes a nuisance."

Her research has wide-reaching implications for the treatment of cancer, particularly because the protein seems to be involved in cancer growth in most types of the disease.

"Eighty-five to 90 per cent of human tumours have very active telomerase," she said. "It's an interesting target because it's a general one. We wouldn't have to make different drugs for different types of cancer."

It could also have implications for other diseases associated with ageing such as type 2 diabetes in which patients have also been shown to have low telomerase levels.

Professor Blackburn's research has also scientifically proven that lifestyle factors such as exercise and stress are linked to cancer. Chronic stress has been shown to wear down the end of chromosomes and therefore make them susceptible to cancer growth.

"We've tried to really turn to the science, not just rely on anecdotes," she said.

"Chronic stress truly is a risk factor."

Similarly, exercise has been shown to help repair and protect the cells.

"If simple things like exercise work that would be very helpful," she said.

Professor Blackburn has now worked in the US for more than 30 years and said the support she has received there has helped make her research possible.

"It's been a very fruitful place to do it," she said.

"It's well supported and there's great people to talk to."

She said the scientific community crossed borders and cultures.

"It's a very lively community of people," she said.

"Wherever you go and meet scientists in Australia and other parts of the world, it's very universal."

"It's an interesting target . . . We wouldn't have to make different drugs for different types of cancer."

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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