Cancer warrior judah folkman biography

Cancer warrior judah folkman biography: In this extensive interview,

Over the years, however, he survived peer rejection of his theory and went on to develop drugs that did what he predicted they would do. During his medical training in the s, Folkman and another student built an implantable pacemaker to shock weakened hearts back into a normal rhythm. Graduating cum laude from Ohio State University, Columbus, inFolkman went on to Harvard Medical School, where, inhe graduated magna cum laude.

His surgical residency was spent at Massachusetts General Hospital. In andhe served as chief resident in surgery there. In the early s, as a lieutenant in the Navy, Folkman co-developed silicone rubber implantable polymers for the sustained release of drugs, work that launched the field of controlled-release technology and led to the development of Norplant, a birth-control method for women.

Judah Folkman, MD was a pioneer in the field of cancer research, originating the idea that angiogenesis—formation of new blood vessels—is a key factor in the development and growth of tumors. He is currently the director of the Vascular Biology Program at Children's Hospital Boston and professor of pediatric surgery and cell biology at Harvard Medical School.

Drafted into the U. Navy init was during his work at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda that he began the early stages of his cancer research, seeding a rabbit thyroid gland with cancer cells and feeding it with blood substitute. Folkman's work gave rise to the field of angiogenesis research, based on the premise that restricting the blood supply to tumors can slow their growth.

Born into a rabbi's family, Folkman received his education at Ohio State University and Harvard Medical Schoolwhere he spent most of his life. Even as a student, he gained recognition in the scientific community as a co-author of studies on liver cancer surgery and cardiac pacemakers. In the s, he served as a surgeon at a civilian hospital in Massachusetts and at a military hospital near Washington, D.

It was during his military service that he developed a new type of long-acting implantable drug delivery system, which led to the release of the Norplant contraceptive implant and other similar products. He also began studying the relationship between tumor growth and blood circulation during this time. Inhe first published his theory in the New England Journal of Medicine, though it took a decade for the scientific community to fully recognize its significance.

Many of the patients treated with such drugs are able to read smaller letters on the eye charts — and some resume reading, watching television, and even driving. It was a revolution in eye care. After stepping down as chief of surgery to concentrate on his angiogenesis research, Folkman began building a research team of extraordinary skill.

While doing blood research for the Navy, Folkman had noticed that plastic tubing will gradually leak oil-based fluids, allowing the liquids to gradually get through the tubing walls.

Cancer warrior judah folkman biography: BIOGRAPHY As a young navy

That led to a new drug-delivery system — implantable plastic capsules — that are in wide therapeutic use today. It led directly to the development of Norplant, the long-term contraceptive that is delivered via implantable plastic capsules. Langer holds about patents based on such work, and has spawned numerous companies and a whole industry, and Folkman gave the original patent — leading to Norplant — to the Population Council.

He was a favorite lecturer at the Medical School, and he constantly emphasized responsibility and care for the patients.

Cancer warrior judah folkman biography: Moses Judah Folkman (February 24,

He once advised medical students that they were entering a service profession. He was my mentor when I was a urologist-in-training, and I have gone to him for advice on more occasions than I can count. He has educated and inspired generations of young physicians and researchers, always drawing standing-room-only audiences at his presentations.

That was far different from the early years, when he would rise to speak at cancer conferences only to see most of the audience get up and leave. In the past few years, as angiogenesis science has taken hold, doctors line up to hear his lectures. He is an author on some papers and more than book chapters and monographs. Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award.

Ina writer interviewing Judah Folkman for a profile in the Harvard Medical Alumni Bulletin asked him how he kept working. He responded:.