I didn’t say people weren’t trying. I was asking for more research. Pancreatic cancer is not generously funded. Most would argue that it’s underfunded.
The real answer is that the life sciences are currently in a medieval phase. It's like doing physics without algebra or calculus. We should certainly not expect any regular progress. It is extraordinarily inefficient.
I understand what you are trying to say. Yes. This is a sort of a dark age for all science related. A few well supported islands in an ocean of hostile politics
Prior to his insights, glia were just thought to be little more than structural support and insulation for neurons. The truth of course is so much more interesting.
I quit academia, frustrated at how bureaucratic it was and how impossible it seemed to become a Great Scientist. Very inspiring to read about the lives of those who make it against all odds.
May the work and memory of Ben Barres carry the next generations of scientists.
In addition to being an incredibly productive, paradigm-shifting scientist, Dr. Barres was also honest and down to earth about the realities of the field. I'd recommend anyone going in to any type of graduate study to read his essay on how to choose na graduate advisor: http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(13)00907-0
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[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 41.2 ms ] threadA form of cancer where we have made almost zero progress. What’s it going to take to get more research?
It has already been 10 years: https://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/cancer-funding-doe...
https://www.cancer.org/research/currently-funded-cancer-rese...
For one, the dynamics of the known molecular pathways involved are complex [1], and so far non-trivial to manipulate.
Furthermore, even with an actionable mechanism, targeting the tumor itself is highly non-trivial, due to physiology alone. (See e.g. [2]).
[1] http://www.jcancer.org/v07p1497.htm
[2] http://www.nature.com/articles/nrclinonc.2016.119
The real answer is that the life sciences are currently in a medieval phase. It's like doing physics without algebra or calculus. We should certainly not expect any regular progress. It is extraordinarily inefficient.
The highest of compliments. RIP
Baruch dayan emet.
May the work and memory of Ben Barres carry the next generations of scientists.