Some of your past research has focused on the role of DNA and proteins in diseases. It's always tricky to predict the future, but I think the genome project is exciting. Soon we will know how the genes of cancer cells differ from normal cells. This tremendously increases the opportunity we have to find something in that whole array of differences that will be useful for therapy. The genome project will tell us how cells go bad, how they stay bad, and how their altered gene expression enables them to destroy other parts of the body.
Gene therapy is still more of an open book.
I'm certain gene therapy will have a role to play in cancer, but the jury's still out on how that will play out. We have lots to learn about delivering genes safely and effectively and controlling their expression. But these are technical issues that can be overcome, although it will take a few years. Once again, the genome project will help that, because we will know more about the genes that put people at higher risk for cancer. If we can target what kinds of environmental factors or behaviors put specific types of people at risk, then we really could have an impact on the incidence of cancer.