In my first guest post you heard from Heather as she
discussed her daughter Paige's battle with Neuroblastoma, as well as the life saving treatment she received at Dana-Farber (and if you
missed it, it's definitely worth the read). In today's guest post, I am taking
you directly into the research labs at Dana-Farber so you can learn about the
vital research that leads to these cutting edge treatments. Research being
funded by your generous gifts to DFMC which support the Barr Program research projects
at Dana-Farber.
As such, meet Amanda Christie. My husband Dave met Amanda
while they both studied at Roger Williams University. While Dave and most of
his RWU friends spent their hours in the theatre, Amanda spent most of hers in
the science labs (with a little bit of time in the theatre for good measure).
Flash forward several years later, and I now count Amanda among my good friends
as well. I knew Amanda was wicked smaht (that's New England for extremely
smart) and worked for Dana-Farber, but it wasn't until I started running for
DFMC that I learned more about the Weinstock lab where Amanda works and the
incredible work they are doing, some of which has been funded by the Barr Program. You may recognize Dr. Weinstock's name from this week's Monday Motivation post
and Dr. Weinstock is also running his third Boston marathon this year as part
of the DFMC team! Well of course I knew you needed to hear from Amanda
directly, so I asked her to craft a guest post sharing her experiences from working at Dana-Farber, and I was so moved
when I read the beautiful post Amanda created for all of you. It really speaks to the heart of not only the
tremendous work being done in these labs, but also showcases the truly
dedicated and passionate investigators Dana-Farber is lucky to have working
tirelessly to get us closer to a cure. Thank you Amanda - not only for your
words, but for the wonderful work you do each and every day!
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I work in the lab of David Weinstock which is a translational leukemia/lymphoma research lab.
Translational research means that we directly focus on researching new drug targets
and therapeutics for immediate transition into clinical trials in patients (as
opposed to a basic biology lab). In the past year we have published half a
dozen papers, including one that made the cover of Cell (one of the most
respected scientific journals in the world), and have opened 3 clinical trials
based on preliminary results produced in our lab. Our group includes PhDs, MDs,
graduate students and technicians who focus on a wide variety of topics. One
team is investigating the role of a particular gene mutation in the formation
of angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma. Another is attempting to target BCL6
overexpression in peripheral T cell lymphomas. Our leukemia group focuses on
the BCR-ABL fusion oncogene in B-cell leukemia and JAK2 signaling in mutant
pediatric ALL. A few of us are fervently trying to find new therapies for
so-called “double-hit lymphoma”; this is a universally deadly subset of an otherwise
fairly curable disease, and new therapeutics are desperately needed. We even
have a few people in our lab studying the mechanisms on DNA repair and its role
in cancer. This work is difficult, expensive and frustrating, but so rewarding.
The dedication I see on a daily basis makes me smile…if you stop by our lab at
any minute of the day you will probably see someone hunched over their bench.
When my husband and I started dating it was hard to explain why I needed to go
into work twice on Christmas (not
kidding), on my birthday, and in the middle of the night…now he just accepts
this as normal!
I hope the above paragraph didn’t
bore you to death. Honestly, I could talk all day and night about my lab
because they are an amazingly intelligent, passionate and dedicated group of
people. I could go on and on about my love of Dana-Farber, because it truly is
an inspiring place to work. And I could definitely have a never-ending
conversation about cancer research, because it is a fascinating, exhilarating
and devastating world, and one I am so grateful to contribute to. None of these
things would be possible without people like Erin. People who give up their
leisure time, their comfort and sometimes their sanity (?!) to brave Boston
winters training for the marathon, who advocate for this much needed research,
and who raise funds that have directly contributed to saving so many lives. The Barr Program is such an important enabler of research here, and our lab feels
lucky to be a recipient of these hard-earned funds. Even a dollar can help change
the world, and I promise that we are working our hardest to make sure the money
raised goes to finding cures.
Also, as a public service
announcement, science is really fun. Don’t let your kids tell you “I’m just not
good at science” or “I’m not smart enough.” I hear this all the time and it
breaks my heart. You are smart
enough and science is awesome. If anyone has questions or wants
to know more, please don’t hesitate to ask or go to our lab website at http://weinstock.dfci.harvard.edu/.
And most importantly, go Erin!
Run run run!
