I have always wondered who creates the mandate on the prioritization of curing certain diseases. There is a pretty long list of diseases that don’t have cures or vaccines yet… Granted cancer treatment and prevention has come a long way, as to be expected with the millions upon millions of dollars we’ve thrown at it, other diseases like herpes and Alzheimer’s are pains in the asses. The infamous trio of incurability (Herpes, Alzheimer’s and Cancer) I have recently deemed, “Pain in the Ass Disease” (PAD).
Before I get into my very opinionated rant of PAD let’s talk shop a bit and delve into some Stupid Science.
Cancer is one of the developed world’s primary causes of death. Cancer is a term that describes a collective group of complex diseases that typically present as abnormal masses or tumors with the ability to grow and divide infinitely with no definitive ‘off’ switch. A typical human cell grows, divides and eventually dies. Cancer cells are immortal, do not age (partially due to the lack of telomere degradation), and are major pains in the butt, causing major lifestyle inconveniences associated with treatment.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), one of the biggest pain in the ass diseases I can think of, has some pretty nasty effects. It is primarily a disease that ails the elderly population. It can be described as a disease that results in the gradual decline of cognitive function resulting in severe memory loss. As it progresses, its victims lose functionality of basic sensory skills required for survival. While AD doesn’t kill it’s victims, its side effects result in death.
Last but not least… herpes. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. That annoying sexually transmitted disease that might not kill you, but will definitely make you wish you were dead (At least google images paints some really graphic images that made me very aware that I never want this to be my struggle). Herpes is characterized by intermittent outbreaks, and can result in the development of sores and blisters on your genitals. These bad boys are itchy, ugly, and while you can treat the symptoms and partially prevent yourself from spreading the disease with proper treatment, it has to be one of the most annoying things to have to deal with for the rest of your life I’d imagine.
So as annoying as these PADs can be… why is there no cure? Put your conspiracy theorist hats down, and don’t even think about putting them on. To be practical… I think there is no cure, yet, because these diseases are not a priority. Money isn’t sufficient to deal with diseases that won’t result in immediate death.
If we talk about AD for example, there have been countless trials launched to help manage the disease, but it seems that there is a greater loss than profit. If there is no return on the investment (successful discovery), it results in insufficient funds to address the problem.
With respect for herpes… it isn’t killing anybody, so if you have to scratch and itch from time to time... it’s better than being in a worse situation.
With respect to cancer… it is just so complex and varied in each individual. It is extremely difficult to create a magic bullet for a disease that is comprised of many mutations that differ depending upon the individual affected. Much advancement has been made, but we are still a ways off before cancer is no longer a threat. Since it is becoming more and more manageable, curing cancer, while on the radar, is not as much of a priority as treating it.
“WTF Stupid One!?! Rewind This thing and explain some of those fancy words you thought you got away with using!!!!”
What the H-E- double hockey stick is a telomere? Glad you asked. A telomere is at the end of each chromosome. It protects the chromosome from deterioration or fusion with other chromosomes.
I know, I know, I know! I introduced some other words in there too. Hopefully by now you know what a chromosome is, but if you don’t know worries, I’m going to tell you.
To keep things simple, it’s basically a thread like structure that carries all your genetic information in the form of genes. Sound familiar? You get 23 from mommy… and 23 from daddy? Great!
I hope you learned something new! And remember, you don’t know what you don’t know… if you don’t know!