BRCA1 in the news
BRCA1 is no stranger to the public press. The search for the gene that causes breast cancer was not only fantasized by researchers, but also by those families affected by the disease. Reporters documented landmark discoveries from the clinical aspect of the disease.
Here I will review one important articles relating to BRCA1, published in the New York Times as the gene was first sequenced. This article summarizes the race between scientists to be the first to identify the gene, giving examples of how each team went about sequencing the gene. Following the article, links to other articles from landmark events in BRCA1 research are provided.
Fierce Competition Marked Fervid Race For Cancer Gene
The New York Times, Sept. 20, 1994
by Natalie Angier [1]
The race to identify the gene associated with breast cancer was very public. Because of the prevalence of the disease in humans and the potential for early diagnosis and possible treatment associated with identifying the gene, many teams competed to get the "celebrity" status that would come with sequencing BRCA1. Angier describes the race as very competitive, to the point that the scientific ideal of collaboration was compromised time and time again. That each team had knowledge that others were working towards the same goal would certainly motivate, but this detached and selfish method of reaching the goal may also have delayed the discovery significantly. 12 teams were working to identify BRCA1. Angier introduces us to four main teams that competed for the celebrity status of revealing BRCA1. Many different techniques based on the same principle were used by the teams to reach the goal. Most techniques involved using DNA obtained from blood samples of affected families and using genetic markers to isolate candidate genes. The candidate genes were sequenced for affected and unaffected individuals and compared for differences. One technique tried this method in other mammals, which failed due to the evolution of the gene between the human lineage and other mammals. The factors identified in the article that allowed the discovery were work ethic, hitches in other teams' work, and the resources available in Utah. The article concluded with a summary of future directions for BRCA1 research.
I found the layout used by Angier to be unique. As expected, the article first emphasized the success of Dr. Skolnick's lab and the importance of discovering the BRCA1 gene in terms of treatment and diagnosis of breast cancer. These aspects are expected, because this article was published the same month as the discovery, and since this is a popular press piece, it must be framed for the public. It wasn't until the fifth paragraph, however, that BRCA1 was even mentioned specifically. The article then described players in the race for the discovery and the methods used to achieve the goal. The article concluded with the major drive the teams had to discover BRCA1 and then with the future directions the field will take. The layout was unique in that it did not follow a chronological or topical organization throughout the piece, and lacked obvious transitions between paragraphs. I feel that the article was effective in how it presented the information in this format overall, and this seems to be rather characteristic of newspaper articles in general.
The article did a decent job with presenting the information in layman's terms, but in doing so left out many relevant details pertaining to the science of the discovery. Many quotes from the scientists interviewed showed only vague emotions and recounts of the race and revealed few details relevant to the race itself. I felt that this added little to the paper in terms of content, but rather gave it more accreditation by quoting qualified individuals. And while the article focused heavily on the lack of collaboration between the groups, it did not elaborate on the time and money wasted when such competition occurs, which is important to the public who funds such research through taxes and awaits the benefits associated these studies. The discovery was also not put in perspective of the Human Genome Project, which began only three years prior to this finding. By incorporating this information, the article could have put this finding in perspective of what the public knew about genetics at the time. So, all-in-all, the article appealed to the reader's level of knowledge, but failed to provide the reader with the information important to their lives directly.
For a comparison to the comparable scientific literature piece, please see the News vs. primary literature page (Under construction, link available when complete).
| angier_1994.pdf | |
| File Size: | 216 kb |
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Other interesting articles on BRCA1 and breast cancer
Family Matters
Newsweek, December 6, 1993
by Geoffrey Cowley and Karen Springen [3]
http://www.newsweek.com/id/42809
Researchers Stalk a Breast Cancer Gene to See How It Kills
The New York Times, May 2, 2000
by Denise Grady [4]
Knowledge That Can Save You
Newsweek, October 9, 2006
by Claudia Kalb [5]
http://www.newsweek.com/id/44854
Designer Babies
Newsweek Blogs, Jan. 15, 2009
by Sharon Begley [2]
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2009/01/15/designer-babies.aspx
[1] Angier, N. (1994, September 20). Fierce Competition Marked Fervid Race For Cancer Gene. The New York
Times. Retrieved from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E5DB1F3BF933A1575AC0A962
958260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink.
[2] Begley, S. (2009, January 15). Designer Babies. Newsweek Blogs. Retrieved from http://blog.newsweek.com
/blogs/labnotes/archive/2009/01/15/designer-babies.aspx.
[3] Cowley, G. and Springen, K. (1993, December 6). Family Matters. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.
newsweek.com/id/42809.
[4] Grady, D. (2000, May 2). Researchers Stalk a Breast Cancer Gene to See How It Kills. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906E7D91239F931A35756C0A9669C8B63
&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink.
[5] Kalb, C. (2006, October 9). Knowledge That Can Save You. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek
.com/id/44854.
Site created by Jessica D. Kueck
Genetics 677 Assignment, Spring 2009
University of Wisconsin-Madison
