Michael Crichton, creator of Jurassic Park and ER, dies of cancer
November 5, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Michael Crichton, orginally a medical doctor who used to write under pen names, like Jeffrey Hudson, he died yesterday, at the age of 66, of an undisclosed type of cancer.
His first novel and best seller, The Adromeda Strain, was published under his real name. He went on to write such Rising Sun, Jurassic Park, The Great Train Robbery, Twister, and Timeline. He also created the TV hit medical drama, ER.
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Tags: michael crichton, jeffrey hudson, cancer blog, cancer, author michael crichton, adromeda strain, great train robbery, rising sun, jurassic park, tv show ER
Michael Crichton and Charlie Rose Talk About Genetics
Even if you think Michael Crichton is totally off base when it comes to global warming, you can’t deny that he is a very handsome man. 
Here’s a video of the hour he spent with Charlie Rose in February promoting his genetics thriller, Next.
Tags: michael crichton, next, science, genetics, genes, genome, dna, fiction, books, diseases, illness, health, medicine
Genetically Engineered Immune System Cells
The latest issue of New Scientist has a story that reminds me of Michael Crichton’s Next in which one of the main characters naturally produces super-cytokines which are able to attack cancer cells. The man’s tissues are subsequently procured and owned by a biotech company so they can mass produce the super-cytokines. Anyhoooo, Dan Jones wrote about genetically engineering immune system cells for treating tumors, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and auto-immune diseases.
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Cancer vaccines that use modified cytotoxic T-cells. The T-cells can then target specific cell types, e.g., the MART-1 protein on melanoma cells or mutant p53 on tumor cells.
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HIV vaccines where B-cells are genetically engineered to produce specific anti-HIV antibodies. This approach could also work to treat malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis.
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Modifying cells to rein in autoimmune attacks on the self in diseases such as type 1 diabetes and to aid in organ transplants.
The possibilities are endless but there are still safety and cost concerns to overcome. Nothing’s perfect, though, and having more treatment options is always a good thing.
Tags: genetics, genome, genetic engineering, genes, dna, diseases, illness, health, medicine, cancer, immune system
Michael Crichton on Patenting Life
In today’s issue of the International Herald Tribune, Michael Crichton wrote Who owns your genes? Patenting life. Here’s an excerpt:
In the United States, gene patents are now used to halt research, prevent medical testing and keep vital information from you and your doctors. Gene patents slow the pace of medical advance on deadly diseases. And they raise costs exorbitantly: A test for breast cancer that could be done for $1,000 now costs $3,000.
Why? Because the holder of the gene patent can charge whatever he wants, and does. Couldn’t somebody make a cheaper test? Sure, but the patent holder blocks any competitor’s test. He owns the gene. Nobody else can test for it. In fact, you can’t even donate their own breast cancer gene to another scientist without permission. The gene may exist in your body, but it’s now viewed as private property.
It’s basically a rehash of the arguments from his latest book, Next. He makes some important points but if gene/DNA patents are truly on the decline, his concerns may be moot before too long.
Tags: michael crichton, next, gene patents, patents, dna patents, genetics, genome, genes, dna, diseases, illness, health
Week of Science Including Mendel’s Garden
Thanks to Lisa who prodded me to go sign up, I’ve joined the rest of the bloggers in declaring next week A Week of Science from February 5 through Feburary 11, 2007.
Bloggers who self-identify as scientists and science writers should post on:
1. Published, peer-reviewed research and their own research.
2. Their expert opinion on actual scientific debates – think review articles.
3. Descriptions of natural phenomena (e.g., why slugs dissolve when you put salt on them, or what causes sun flares; scientific knowledge that has reached the level of fact)
To be honest, I wasn’t really sure I’d fit in even though I post only about genetics and anything touching on DNA. The whole week seems so hardcore and Genetics and Health is mostly optimistic and informational rather than “hard bloggin’“. (Although I admit to having snarky moments.) Perhaps I’ll get kicked out of science week. We shall see! Greg Laden might get booted before me. 
The main point of having a week of just science is because many bloggers enjoy debating politically charged subjects such as creationism (intelligent design) and evolution or another hot button topic – climate change and global warming at the cost of ignoring other valuable science. Personally, I like to stick to topics that relate to health and everyday life so I’m not quite sure how next week will differ from any other week for me at Genetics and Health but I wanted to join in support of science anyway.
Don’t forget that on Friday, February 9th, we’re having a party here where I’ll host genetics blog carnival Mendel’s Garden. Please submit your posts by Thursday, February 8th via this link. I will include anything that discusses genetics, genes, or DNA. Thank you!
Tags: week of science, just science, science, genetics, genes, dna, diseases, illness, health, science blogging, mendels garden
Genetics and Health in 2006
Genetics just gets more exciting with each passing year. Last year was no different. Here are my most memorable posts of 2006. This is part of our b5media January Science and Health Theme Day. A round-up of everyone’s year-in-review will be at Breastfeeding 1-2-3.
- January 2006 – b5media Science and Health Channel (The birth of a channel that now numbers 18. Have a look at the far right sidebar for a list of the blogs in the channel.)
- February 2006 – Genetics and Health in the UK Public Library (I only posted twice in February because of my family’s move from Vietnam to London.)
- March 2006 – Dermagenetics and DNA-Selected Products (A tongue-in-cheek look at the craze to tailor everything to our genetic make-up.)
- April 2006 – Let’s Talk Genetics, Health, and the Supernatural (A rebuttal to one of the most hotly discussed posts ever on Genetics and Health.)
- May 2006 – Don’t Rain On My Gene Parade (A look at why finding genes might not be worth the effort when it comes to cancer research.)
- June 2006 – Genetics and Health Exclusive: A Personal Experience with PGD (The start of a series featuring “Rica Lode” who was in search for preimplantation genetic diagnosis of neurofibromatosis.)
- July 2006 – Where to Learn More About Genetics (At the request of a reader, I put together a list of some websites that focus on the basics of genetics.)
- August 2006 – Meeting with DNA Direct (Doing most of this work online, it’s a rare opportunity to meet likeminded people in person. I was pleased to be able to chat with Jason Bobe and Lisa Lee when I was in the San Francisco Bay Area.)
- September 2006 – Genetic Enhancement Not A Human Right (Nothing’s fair in genetics and health.)
- October 2006 – Twins with Different Skin Color Genes (One of the most popular posts at Genetics and Health, second only to the ones on Brad, Angelina, and Shiloh Nouvel Jolie Pitt and a recent one on Kate Middleton, Prince William’s girlfriend.)
- November 2006 – Gifts for the DNA Enthusiast (Anytime is a good time for presents!)
- December 2006 – Genetics Book Review: Michael Crichton’s Next (I had no idea people disliked Michael Crichton so much until I started writing about his latest genetics thriller.)
Looking back through the 2006 archives of Genetics and Health brought back a lot of memories. It’s been so much fun writing and thinking and discussing genetics with all of you. Let’s do it again in 2007! I hope to hear from more of you this time around.
Tags: 2006, review, genetics, genes, dna, diseases, illness, health, year in review
Genetic Tinkering Leads to Cuter and Sicker Dogs
Ordinarily, I write about genetics and human health but I couldn’t resist this New York Times article about the effects of extreme inbreeding on the Japanese rare dog scene.
Rare dogs are highly prized here, and can set buyers back more than $10,000. But the real problem is what often arrives in the same litter: genetically defective sister and brother puppies born with missing paws or faces lacking eyes and a nose.
There have been dogs with brain disorders so severe that they spent all day running in circles, and others with bones so frail they dissolved in their bodies. Many carry hidden diseases that crop up years later, veterinarians and breeders say.
That sounds like animal cruelty to me and also reminds me that PermaPuppies aren’t too far from reality.
Tags: nextgencode, michael crichton, next, permapuppy, dogs, puppies, japan, inbreeding, genetic defects, genetics, genes, dna, diseases, illness, health
Bryan Appleyard Interviews Michael Crichton
Apparently, my support of Michael Crichton’s Next in the face of ridicule was not enough to grant me an audience with the author. (Just joking!) But we can still enjoy Bryan Appleyard’s interview with him in the Sunday Times (UK).
The satire of Next is focused not on a single delusion, but on what Crichton sees as the outrageous state of the law and the science of genetics. “I was just astonished at the state of knowledge and how it was being interpreted in the courts, which clearly seemed to require revision.”
Happily, I am not alone in liking Crichton’s Next. Bryan liked him as did David Montgomery of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Welcome FOX News Readers to Genetics and Health!
Good morning, FOX News readers and everyone else too! Thank you to Dr. Manny Alvarez of FOX News who included Genetics and Health and my other health blog, A Hearty Life, in his feature of Best Blogs: 10 Health Web Sites Worth a Click.
If your first thought upon seeing “genetics” is to run and read something just a tad less snooze inducing, please stay. While I may occasionally venture into the realm of genetic technology, mostly I write about the coolest or most ridiculous happenings in the genome revolution. Yes, that’s right, we’re in the midst of a revolution and you’re part of it.
Please take a look around and learn about what our future holds: DNA sprays for curing or keeping disease in control, nasty people collecting supermodels’ underwear for DNA testing, the most unlikely places where you can get your DNA tested, and book reviews of not just genetics textbooks but the latest Michael Crichton bestseller.
As always, if you have any questions or stories about genetics and health, feel free to email me or leave a comment under any of the posts. I would love to hear from you.
Rock on!
Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD
Update: Dr. Manny has his own website too.
Technorati Tags: genetics, genes, dna, manny alvarez, fox news, diseases, illness, health
Favorite Genetics Quote from Next by Michael Crichton
Oops. In my book review, I forgot to quote my favorite bit of Michael Crichton’s book, Next.
Op-Ed Commentary from the New York Times:
A “SOCIABILITY GENE”? WHEN WILL THIS NONSENSE STOP?
Columbia University researchers now claim to have found a sociability gene. What’s next? The shyness gene? The reclusive gene? The monastic gene? How about the get-off-my-back gene?
In truth, researchers are taking advantage of the public’s lack of knowledge about how genes actually operate. No single gene controls any behavioral trait. Unfortunately, the public doesn’t know that. They think there’s a gene for eye color, for height, and for hair curliness, so why not one for sociability? Geneticists will not speak out. They all sit on the boards of private companies, and are in a race to identify genes they can patent for their own profit.
Will this ever stop? Evidently not.
I could almost hear Michael Crichton chuckling to himself as he wrote Next. He obviously had quite a lot of fun! And there were a few laugh out loud moments in the book.
This particular passage reminded me of a post I wrote early this year on Dermagenetics and DNA-selected products.
Technorati Tags: michael crichton, crichton, next, biotech, biotechnology, genomics, genetics, genes, dna, diseases, illness, health, quotes, next, books
