Jessica Wapner | The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Mutant Gene and the Quest to Cure Cancer at the Genetic Level

Recorded Jun 4, 2013
Direct Download: 20130604-jessica.mp3

In The Philadelphia Chromosome, science journalist Jessica Wapner reconstructs the crucial breakthroughs in discovering the links between cancers and their genetic causes. The story unfolds over 50 years, from the first glimpse of a genetic mutation—dubbed the Philadelphia chromosome—in 1959 to determining its role in causing chronic myeloid leukemia and the development of a revolutionary drug that made this once-fatal cancer treatable with a single daily pill. Wapner’s articles about healthcare and medicine appear in the New York TimesScientific American, Slate, Science, and Psychology Today. Her writing on cancer research and treatment also appears in Oncology Business ReviewCure, and CR, and her blog, Work in Progress, focuses on the ethics and economics of drug development. 

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