FOREWORD
So clever P
eople are so clever nowadays. That thought kept running through my head when the reporters and I sat down to discuss this edition’s cover story and we asked ourselves:
When it comes to the human body, how well can we recreate nature? We then discussed examples such as head transplants, exoskeletons, and creating heart cells from urine. It certainly is complex material. ‘People are so clever nowadays’ is also the title of a book written by my fellow journalist Frederike Krommendijk. She wrote her book after her husband was diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer. He survived, but cancer still kills circa 40,000 people every year in this country alone. (source: World Cancer Research Fund). Of course, these ‘people’ are the scientists who are making all these fantastic discoveries – both within and outside of the medical research field. It is a good thing, too, that they are so clever. Take UT researcher Jai Prakash (interview on page 18). He is one of many researchers trying to find an effective way to combat cancer. ‘Instead of focussing on the cells of the actual tumour, we look at the cells that help a tumour grow,’ he explains. He uses a special peptide in combination with chemotherapy. The results are highly promising: it disarms more than 80% of the tumour cells. How wonderful would it be if Prakash actually makes the crucial breakthrough in cancer research? Even more than their cleverness, I admire the optimism and perseverance of these researchers. Professor Mariëlle Stoelinga (interview on page 46) says: ‘I tend to do things that are difficult for me. Things that are just outside my comfort zone.’ I believe that it is precisely that attitude, that perseverance, that makes researchers successful. It is also the only way to ultimately find the perfect cure for any disease.
Maaike Platvoet Editor-in-chief at U-Today
U-TODAY #3
2017
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