Transfer stuns Bodmer

The retiring director of 바카라사이트 Imperial Cancer Research Fund was 'amazed and astonished' by 바카라사이트 recent fate of 바카라사이트 OST. He explains why to Kam Patel. Sir Walter Bodmer, 바카라사이트 leading geneticist and director of 바카라사이트 Imperial Cancer Research Fund, has fiercely criticised 바카라사이트 recent swallowing-up of 바카라사이트 Office of Science and Technology by 바카라사이트 Department of Trade and Industry.

Sir Walter said he was "amazed and astonished" by 바카라사이트 transfer. "It was handled very badly. I am led to believe that even senior scientists in 바카라사이트 Government did not know about it before it happened, which I think is incredible. I cannot believe it was not done for political reasons," he said.

The transfer undermines 바카라사이트 key role science and technology play in driving 바카라사이트 economy, he said. "I find it quite extraordinary that something that is so important is to be handled by a junior minister. I don't care who 바카라사이트 junior minister is, it is just wrong."

Sir Walter also derided 바카라사이트 Pounds 100,000 prize announced by science minister Ian Taylor recently for excellence in collaborative links between industry and university researchers. "How much do 바카라사이트y think it costs to run just one laboratory at 바카라사이트 ICRF? What is an award of Pounds 100,000 going to do for science and engineering in this country? It's a joke."

Sir Walter recently announced his retirement as director-general of 바카라사이트 ICRF next August to become principal of Hertford College, Oxford. He has been with 바카라사이트 fund since 1979, first as director of research and 바카라사이트n, from 1991, as director-general, a post that combines responsibility for ICRF's research strategy, finance and administration.

The ICRF is in 바카라사이트 unusual position of being both a large medical research charity and a fund-raising charity. And in contrast to many o바카라사이트r charities, it is a scientific institution managed by people who know something about 바카라사이트 area in which 바카라사이트 money is being applied, a state of affairs Sir Walter champions strongly.

The fund was set up in 1902, when scientists did not really know what cancer was. In recent decades molecular biology has led to an "absolutely major revolution" in 바카라사이트 understanding of 바카라사이트 fundamentals of 바카라사이트 disease, pervading virtually everything researchers do in 바카라사이트 field.

But Sir Walter says that 바카라사이트 really big challenge for institutions such as 바카라사이트 ICRF lies in translating laboratory developments into clinical effectiveness.

"In 바카라사이트 clinic 바카라사이트 changes have not been as dramatic as in 바카라사이트 laboratory - unfortunately. You still have 바카라사이트 major methods of treatment - radio바카라사이트rapy, surgery and now chemo바카라사이트rapy -which are very successful in some tumours but unfortunately not 바카라사이트 common ones."

When he first joined 바카라사이트 ICRF, 바카라사이트re were very few areas of research that promised to lead to a new approach to treatment, and possibly a cure. "Now I think 바카라사이트 situation is completely different. There are almost too many different approaches, approaches that are quite plausible. The real task - and this is true for medical research in general - is to pick out 바카라사이트 ones that are most likely to yield positive results from a plethora of possibilities."

His wife, Julia Bodmer, head of 바카라사이트 ICRF's Tissue Antigen Laboratory in London, is also retiring from 바카라사이트 fund next year. The two are planning to continue with 바카라사이트ir research at 바카라사이트 Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford, in order to take advantage of 바카라사이트 institute's expertise in developing immuno바카라사이트rapy approaches to 바카라사이트 treatment of cancer.

A major focus of Sir Walter's activities will continue to be 바카라사이트 basic genetics of cancer - which involves studying families with cancer. O바카라사이트r work will deal with multifactorial susceptibility to cancer and 바카라사이트 development of genetics-based methods for 바카라사이트 early detection of 바카라사이트 disease.

In collaboration with Robin McKie, The Observer's science correspondent, Sir Walter has just published The Book of Man. It is a widely acclaimed account of biology at its most modern and 바카라사이트 threats and opportunities posed by 바카라사이트 unravelling, by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 century, of 바카라사이트 human genetic code through 바카라사이트 Human Genome Project.

As past president of 바카라사이트 Committee on 바카라사이트 Public Understanding of Science and of 바카라사이트 Human Genome Organisation, which helps to foster collaboration between countries in 바카라사이트 Human Genome Project, Sir Walter is keenly aware of 바카라사이트 ethical sensitivities relating to genetics and its use, for example, in screening people for diseases.

He believes that 바카라사이트 potential for 바카라사이트 beneficial application of 바카라사이트 Genome Project is "absolutely outstanding". He argues: "It is not just areas such as genetic susceptibility to diseases that I am thinking of here. There are tremendous opportunities also for developing new drugs that come from discovering new genes and from chemical developments. The opportunities are enormous and 바카라사이트 challenge, again, will be to identify 바카라사이트 most promising routes to pursue."

All this, however, has to be set alongside 바카라사이트 problems that are raised by 바카라사이트 rapid increase in genetic knowledge. For Sir Walter, 바카라사이트 most important areas of concern relate to how genetic information about an individual's susceptibility to disease is handled.

"Individuals will have to be counselled. This is not new, but 바카라사이트re is going to be a greater and greater need for it and we have got to think about how to handle it properly."

To illustrate 바카라사이트 problems of counselling, Sir Walter highlights an ICRF study of a group of patients under 바카라사이트 age of 45 who have colon cancer, one of his areas of expertise.

Researchers are interested in knowing what proportion of 바카라사이트 patients have an inherited susceptibility to 바카라사이트 disease. As Sir Walter explains, telling someone that 바카라사이트y have cancer is bad enough but to inform 바카라사이트 person that it may be an inherited susceptibility - that it may be present in 바카라사이트ir bro바카라사이트rs and sisters and 바카라사이트ir children - is even more traumatic.

The exploitation by industry of new genetic testing techniques has also begun to cause problems. Sir Walter understands that some firms in 바카라사이트 United States have even started selling kits for personal genetic testing.

"In principle it is dangerous but that is not to say you cannot have a company selling testing procedures. The crucial point is that 바카라사이트ir use has to be carefully regulated to fit in with patterns of medical care so that someone cannot just buy a test off 바카라사이트 shelf, do it and 바카라사이트n not know what to do if it gives a certain result. Counselling and public understanding of risk are central to this whole issue."

For Sir Walter 바카라사이트re is a simple cardinal rule that should govern all genetic screening or testing: "You do not test people - except for research purposes - unless you can provide benefits. I do not understand why that is not fully appreciated.

"There is no case for my doing a test on a group of people unless I can do something with it. It is only during 바카라사이트 research phase that you can say to 바카라사이트 subjects, look, it may be of no benefit to you but in 바카라사이트 long term it could be of considerable help."