We
have been hearing for some time now, that the future of medicine is
the one, that is based on molecular picture of the disease, which in
turn will allow us to develop precise drugs. This is called
personalized medicine. The traditional paradigm, based on the
physiology of the disease and the search for drugs based on the
symptoms, gradually is displaced by this new approach. We begin to
realize, that traditional drugs are not effective, especially if they
are to treat chronic diseases, or cancer.
Although
today's post is not about personalized medicine, in part its topic is
related to it. I would like to share with you today a new trend in
science, namely the study of cellular behavior. This new field of
inquiry is researched from a variety of angles, hence the need for
molecular biologists, statisticians and mathematicians is required.
What we have learned so far is, that not all the cells are the same.
Of course it is widely accepted, that cells differ depending on the
tissue they come from. However, recent studies show, that even cells,
that are part of the same organ, differ significantly. It is said,
that our cells are noisy.
We
all have become accustomed to constant cacophony of everyday life,
there is no escape from it. The background noise generated by our
smartphones, cars, music, conversation is sometimes overwhelming.
Hence, it is easy for us to imagine, how hard it is to perform a
specific task, when we are not able to suppress this cacophony. If we
are able to suppress it, or turn it off, then the task becomes
easier. It turns out, that the social noise is like a fractal,
meaning the key that allows us to understand the life of our cells.
Recent studies show, that our cells also operate in a changing
environment, and as us, react to it differently. Some are able to
"turn off" the noise and do the job, and for others it is
more difficult. Over time, a population of cells having the same
genetic information, starts to function and react to stimuli
differently.
Cellular
noise is a new and vibrant scientific discipline.
It is an inter-disciplinary approach of studying the behavior of
cells, hence the need for various specialists of different sciences:
biologists, mathematicians, statisticians and physicists. So far,
most of the experiments have been conducted on single-cell organisms
such as bacteria and yeast, but it can safely be inferred, that
similar phenomena occur in higher organisms, including us. Not only,
molecules within the cell move around and interact randomly, they
also need to carry out their specific jobs, like eating, dividing,
differentiating and at the same time being able to react to various
toxic substances, pathogens and changing diet. Nothing is constant
and everything is interdependent.
This
is a new finding, because until recently it was believed that
biological processes are ordered, hence predictable. Recent
observations showing the extremely noisy life of our inner-selves
toppled upside down our understanding of those processes. It is hard
for us to imagine, how it is possible to perform a specific function
in ever present internal and external noise. The development of an
embryo, for example, looks like a well-programmed process, orchestrated by predictable waves of gene activity to produce a
specific pattern of tissues. How could it possibly emerge amid this
pervasive noise?
Not
much will change over the next few years. Current research on
cellular noise is the beginning and shows how science and medicine
will look like in the future. But what modern science is showing and
what is fascinating is, that the elements of our social life are
reflected in the microscopic world and vice versa. So if cells depend
on one another to acquire a specific identity and pattern, then we
all also depend on each other, and life is nothing else, but one
throbbing organism. Although science will not provide ready-made
solutions and medicine a cure for our ailments in the near future, we
can safely rely on holistic approach to our health problems. This
view has been popular among supporters of alternative medicine for a
long time, and now traditional medicine turns into personalized
medicine, while science starts to use holistic approach by developing
a new branch called systems biology.
I
am not of the opinion, that cure will come in the form of a pill,
medical or alternative. I simply do not believe in panacea,
because the effectiveness of the cure depends largely on cellular
noise, which means, that some cells will respond to the drug, while
others will not. This is also the reason why we conduct
statistical surveys. So far this kind of research has shown us the
ineffectiveness of all drugs, because effectiveness measured in the
range of 5-20% is insignificant to me. I believe, that if we want to
think about health, we should think holistically, and treat ourselves
as a whole, hence healthy eating, but also healthy habits, such as
exercise and positive thinking are very important.
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