Different eras, continuing goals
Two scientists discuss 50 years of cancer research
By Saul Wisnia
Drs. Frei (left) and Bradner ponder cancer therapy then and now.
Dana-Farber colleagues Emil "Tom" Frei III, MD, and Jay Bradner, MD, may be separated by more than a half century of professional experiences, but the two are linked by a common goal: the eradication of cancer.
Frei, physician-in-chief emeritus of Dana-Farber, is a globally known pioneer in oncology research who is credited (along with Drs. Emil Freireich and James Holland) with developing the world's first successful combination chemotherapy treatment, in which several drugs are used simultaneously on patients. This novel approach led to complete cures for some childhood leukemia patients in the early 1960s, and has been used with great success on other cancers as well. Continuing to improve upon these and other results through the years, Frei is still seeking new breakthroughs at age 81.
Among the two generations of oncologists who studied Frei's achievements while in medical school, Bradner was promoted to a full faculty position at Dana-Farber this past summer after three years as a hematology-oncology fellow. Also on staff at Brigham and Women's and Faulkner hospitals, he is part of a new wave of physicianscientists who are using high-tech, computerized methods to unlock cancer mysteries their predecessors approached and sometimes solved with microscopes and slides. Through a joint appointment with the neighboring Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, he is also working to help create a smoother process for how new cancer drugs can be developed and delivered to patients.
Recently, these cohorts sat down with Paths of Progress Associate Editor Saul Wisnia to discuss how oncology research and care have evolved—and stayed the same— through the decades. Here is a portion of their talk.
