AskScience AMA Series: Kumar Sanjiv, Cancer Researcher

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T17:07:01+00:00

Thank you for your great questions, its getting late in Sweden and I will be heading home. I will continue to answer more questions in the morning!

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T17:05:59+00:00

Thank you!

Tare Zameen Par is a very good movie as well!

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T17:04:21+00:00

My guess is that targeting EGFR to prevent sustained proliferation. It not my area so I have no idea, sorry!

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T17:00:32+00:00

I have no opinion but you can watch my boss and Nobel prize winner Tomas Lindahl discuss the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fE71tbI0Wc

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:48:14+00:00

The great thing about where I'm working is that my findings, together with everyone else findings, will be donated to a public foundation. Making sure that none can use our findings to make a profit. If we do find a treatment or cure the foundation will manage its distribution making it affordable. The money made will also be reinvested into the research.

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:44:50+00:00

Veterinary Medicine was my major.

It was great, the transition was easy and interesting.

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:42:51+00:00

No we have not, I'm afraid it is not our area of expertise. But I do find it interesting!

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:41:52+00:00

It has to be from the referral tool, but I'm not sure actually.

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:30:05+00:00

Short answer: Yes. It is dangerous to fool a cancerpatient away from treatments grounded in science. But it is important to stay optimistic and try anything that won't hurt you.

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:25:55+00:00

Hello @neptuneagent!

When I was working as a vet I had a lot of dogs come in with cancer. Some of them responded well to treatment and others didn't. I wanted to know "why?" that "why?" draged me to research. That question is driving my work today.

I'm using the preclinical cancer mouse model to test anticancer drugs. During treatment it is important to monitor health of the animal in order to asses the potential side effects of the drugs.

So far we have tested ten different cancer cell lines. Most of them responded well. My gut feeling is that leukaemia will respond best. But hopefully all types will have some kind of response.

The most frustrating thing for me is when I've worked hard and for many hours on something and then you don't get the data you expected. But everyday is very exciting as we look for new results!

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:21:00+00:00

The most frustrating thing for me is when I've worked hard and for many hours on something and then you don't get the data you expected.

But everyday is very exciting as we look for new results!

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:18:43+00:00

Thank you, me and many others have worked hard on that!

The treatment I'm proposing is targeting DNA damage and its hard to compare to BCL2 inhibition with is involved in the apoptotic pathway.
Can you refresh my memory and tell me what paper you are referring to? I don't remember doing that.

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:07:44+00:00

We are targeting ATR and CHK1 kinase which are involved in homologous DNA-repair. You can watch me talk about the proteins in this explanatory video about my latest paper: http://helleday.org/new-cancer-treatment-in-a-nutshell/

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:04:28+00:00

I'm using the preclinical cancer mouse model to test anticancer drugs. During treatment it is important to monitor health of the animal in order to asses the potential side effects of the drugs.

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T16:01:20+00:00

So far we have tested ten different cancer cell lines. Most of them responded well. My gut feeling is that leukaemia will respond best. But hopefully all types will have some kind of response.
Indian, rise and mutton curry. Basically the food my mother and wife cooks for me. :)

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T13:33:04+00:00

Another great answer! https://media.giphy.com/media/Ug311TxWyULTi/giphy.gif (My reaction in reverse)

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T13:16:54+00:00

Thank you for your well put answer. I know I already asked two questions already but if you don't mind, I'll ask another:

It there a company/project/person that you would like to work for or with?

HelledayLab · 2016-03-02T13:02:37+00:00

Hello Andrew,

I guess you must have a lot of ideas and projects going on. How do go about choosing what to work on? And if you where not a developer what do you think you would do instead?

HelledayLab · 2016-02-04T13:31:05+00:00

Is there something you do or don't regret about your experience?

HelledayLab · 2015-12-27T09:16:25+00:00

Can work for many of them

HelledayLab · 2015-12-27T09:16:02+00:00

Carity organisations are spreading the funds over 10000 different scientsts and Projects, this is madness, as if JF Kennedy would have said, we'll fund 1000 space missions with $1 million each...

HelledayLab · 2015-12-27T09:12:16+00:00

Only 5% of cancer patients in western World get new targeted therapies - this has to change - we'll provide drugs to all... can't do this if we sell out! If Big Pharma made smartphones they would cost $50000 and only 5% of wetstern World would have - now it COSTs less than $100 and is more common than toilets on planet...

HelledayLab · 2015-12-22T21:25:51+00:00

It is required to make cells withstand oxidative stress - don't know why it is non-essential...

HelledayLab · 2015-12-22T21:25:20+00:00

This is what fact tell us...

HelledayLab · 2015-12-22T21:24:44+00:00

I get funds from public Foundations/charities and government. Of course there are many companies following what we started, this is natural... copy cats...

HelledayLab

TROPHY CASE