Transcript Can a biologist fix a radio? - or, what I learned studying

Can a biologist fix a radio? what I learned studying
apoptosis.
(Lazebnik Y. 2004)
or,
Gold (field) Rush
Stage 1: Pioneering
Few scientists find interest in a problem
Stage 2: Discovery!
Funding + applications  Gold rush
Stage 3: Saturation
Completion/destruction of models, theory/drugs fail, confusion
It is is difficult to find a cat in a dark room, especially if there is not cat.
~ Chinese saying
The anticipated gold deposits exist, finding them is not guareteed!
~ David Papermaster
Solututions
...to getting caught in a competitive and
complex field of investigation?
Develop good tools and keep mind clear in adverse circumstances.
~ David Papermaster
Stagnation is eventually interrupted by new development.
~ Joe Gall
Is the biologists approach flawed?
~ Lazebnik
Test the approach in a system that has a solution.
~ Mathematicians approach
A problem with a solution
Begining
Funding
Description
Classifcation
Component
Systematic
mailfunctions
Phenotype
Knock-out approach
SRC
Serendipitously Recovered
Component
MIC
Most Important Component
RIC
Really Important Component
U-MIC
Undoubtly Most Important
Component
Is the accumulated
information useful?
Sometimes (pharmacy: give me a target!)
Intervention
vs
Tuning
Gene therapy
Stress
Atagonists
Nutritions
Breeding
Hygiene
Perspective
Biologist
Engineer
Language
Massive information + formal language
= limited overview
Massive information + standardized language
= simple overview
Increased productivity
More meaningful research
Thank you
Breen MS, Lazebnik RS, Nour SG, Lewin JS, Wilson DL.
Three-dimensional comparison of interventional MR
radiofrequency ablation images with tissue response.
Comput Aided Surg. 2004;9(5):185-91.
PMID: 16192060 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]