Synopses & Reviews
One of
Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Spring 2013 Science Books
Philadelphia, 1959: A scientist scrutinizing a single human cell under a microscope detects a missing piece of DNA. That scientist, David Hungerford, had no way of knowing that he had stumbled upon the starting point of modern cancer research — the Philadelphia chromosome. This book charts not only that landmark discovery, but also — for the first time, all in one place — the full sequence of scientific and medical discoveries that brought about the first-ever successful treatment of a lethal cancer at the genetic level.
The significance of this mutant chromosome would take more than three decades to unravel; in 1990, it was recognized as the sole cause of a deadly blood cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia, or CML. This dramatic discovery launched a race involving doctors and researchers around the world, who recognized that in principle it might be possible to target CML at its genetic source.
Science journalist Jessica Wapner brings extensive original reporting to this book, including interviews with more than thirty-five people with a direct role in this story. Wapner reconstructs more than forty years of crucial breakthroughs, clearly explains the science behind them, and pays tribute to the dozens of researchers, doctors, and patients whose curiosity and determination restored the promise of a future to the more than 70,000 people worldwide who are diagnosed with CML each year. Chief among them is researcher and oncologist Dr. Brian Druker, whose dedication to his patients fueled his quest to do everything within his power to save them.
The Philadelphia Chromosome helps us to fully understand and appreciate just how pathbreaking, hard-won, and consequential are the achievements it recounts — and to understand the principles behind much of today's most important cancer research, as doctors and scientists race to uncover and treat the genetic roots of a wide range of cancers.
Review
"In this meticulously detailed chronicle, science writer Wapner recaps the remarkable development of Gleevec, a cutting-edge drug capable of beating the typically fatal cancer of white blood cells known as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)....Her gracefully written history skillfully combines both the science and humanity of this fascinating search for a cure for CML." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Wapner weaves together the basic and applied science with the stories of the dedicated researchers, the broader supporting superstructure of modern medicine and the process of bringing pharmaceuticals to market....An absorbing, complex medical detective story." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The story of the Philadelphia chromosome is truly the story of modern cancer biology — from the very earliest description of a chromosomal abnormality in cancer cells to the development of a targeted medicine against a formerly lethal type of leukemia. Jessica Wapner stitches the whole story together with tenacity, diligence (and humor). This is a wonderful, readable, and highly informative book." Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies
Review
"Jessica Wapner shows us in The Philadelphia Chromosome how the past and the future combine to dramatically change the course of a disease. This beautifully written book is a blueprint for broader healthcare change. A pivotal book." David B. Agus, MD, Professor of Medicine and Engineering, University of Southern California, and author of The End of Illness
Review
"Jessica Wapner has done two kinds of hard work gracefully: the hard work of understanding cancer genetics and the hard work of rendering that subject into human narrative, lucid explanation, and metaphor. The Philadelphia Chromosome is not just an urgently useful book. It's also an elegant one, put together like a Swiss watch." David Quammen, author of Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
Review
"The Philadelphia Chromosome clearly explains how a half-century's worth of research transformed a viciously lethal form of cancer into a chronic, treatable condition. Jessica Wapner's meticulously researched book is both a real-life medical thriller and an engaging narrative about the history of modern cancer research." Seth Mnookin, author of The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy
Synopsis
A Wall Street Journal 10 Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
Among a small cluster of very good recent books on cancer. The New York Times
Philadelphia, 1959: A scientist scrutinizing a single human cell under a microscope detects a missing piece of DNA. That scientist, David Hungerford, had no way of knowing that he had stumbled upon the starting point of modern cancer research the Philadelphia chromosome. It would take doctors and researchers around the world more than three decades to unravel the implications of this landmark discovery. In 1990, the Philadelphia chromosome was recognized as the sole cause of a deadly blood cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia, or CML. Cancer research would never be the same.
Science journalist Jessica Wapner reconstructs more than forty years of crucial breakthroughs, clearly explains the science behind them, and pays tribute with extensive original reporting, including more than thirty-five interviews to the dozens of researchers, doctors, and patients with a direct role in this inspirational story. Their curiosity and determination would ultimately lead to a lifesaving treatment unlike anything before it.
The Philadelphia Chromosome chronicles the remarkable change of fortune for the more than 70,000 people worldwide who are diagnosed with CML each year. It is a celebration of a rare triumph in the battle against cancer and a blueprint for future research, as doctors and scientists race to uncover and treat the genetic roots of a wide range of cancers.
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Synopsis
Almost daily, headlines announce newly discovered links between cancers and their genetic causes.
The Philadelphia Chromosome relates the backstory — never before told at book length — behind many of those headlines. This epic journey unfolds over fifty years, encompassing the first glimpse of a genetic mutation, dubbed the Philadelphia chromosome, in 1959; its role in causing chronic myeloid leukemia (CML); and the development of Gleevec, a groundbreaking drug that made this once-fatal cancer treatable with a single daily pill.
Science journalist Jessica Wapner brings this story vividly to life — reconstructing the crucial breakthroughs, explaining the science behind them, and giving due to the dozens of researchers, doctors, and patients whose curiosity and determination restored the promise of a future to the more than 50,000 people worldwide who are diagnosed with CML each year. Chief among them is researcher and oncologist Dr. Brian Druker, whose dedication to his patients fueled his quest to do everything within his power to save them.
A turning point in our long and difficult history with cancer, The Philadelphia Chromosome is an inspiring story of what is possible when people, working alone and in concert, are driven to make sense of the unknown and improve the lives of others.
About the Author
Jessica Wapner is a freelance writer focused mainly on healthcare and medicine. Her work is published in The New York Times, Scientific American, Slate, Science, Nature Medicine, Ode, and Psychology Today. Her writing on cancer research and treatment also appears in the science magazines Oncology Business Review, Cure, and CR. Her blog, Work in Progress, is part of the PLoS Blog Network and focuses on the ethics and economics of drug development. She was the founding managing editor of two review journals, Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology and Gastroenterology & Hepatology, and also served as editor for Oncology Spectrum. She lives in Beacon, New York, with her husband and two young children.