Features

From Many, One

Resisting Cancer
Contributors

Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the April 2015 issue of The Scientist.
Editorial

To Each His Own
Cancer treatment becomes more and more personal.
Speaking of Science

Speaking of Science
April 2015's selection of notable quotes
Notebook

Through a Spider’s Eyes
Deciphering how a jumping spider sees the world and processes visual information may yield insights into long-standing robotics problems.

Two-Faced RNAs
The same microRNAs can have opposing roles in cancer.

Cancer Kismet
Fate mapping allows researchers to follow cancer progression from its cell type of origin.

Mining the Outliers
Even when a clinical trial fails, some patients improve. What can researchers learn from these exceptional responders?
Critic at Large

The Challenges of Precision
Researchers face roadblocks to treating an individual patient’s cancer as a unique disease.

Control ALT, Delete Cancer
Treating cancer by shutting down the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway
Modus Operandi

Bursting Cancer’s Bubble
Scientists make oxygen-filled microbubbles designed to increase tumor sensitivity to radiation.
Lab Tools

In Custody
Expert tips for isolating and culturing cancer stem cells

Getting Your Sugar Fix
A guide to glycan microarrays
Bio Business

The CAR T-Cell Race
Tumor-targeting T-cell therapies are generating remarkable remissions in hard-to-beat cancers—and attracting millions of dollars of investment along the way.
Reading Frames

Setbacks and Great Leaps
The tale of p53, a widely studied tumor suppressor gene, illustrates the inventiveness of researchers who turn mishaps into discoveries.
Capsule Reviews

Capsule Reviews
Junk DNA, Cuckoo, Sapiens, and Cool
Foundations

Leukemia Under the Lens, 1845
Alfred Donné’s microscopic daguerreotypes described the cellular symptoms of leukemia for the first time.
The Literature

Toggling Between Life and Death
In estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer, the transcription factor IRF1 tips the balance between cellular suicide and survival through autophagy.

Signaling Resistance
Activating signaling pathways, rather than individual genes, reveals roles for both growth and dedifferentiation in establishing resistance to cancer treatments.

Manipulative Microbiomes
Gut bacteria control tumor growth via the mammalian immune system.
Profiles

Professional Marksman
Charles Sawyers, who began his research career just as the genetic details of human oncogenes were emerging, codeveloped Gleevec, the quintessential targeted cancer therapy.
Scientist to Watch

Yvonne Saenger: Immunotherapy Pioneer
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Columbia University. Age: 41
Cover Story

My Mighty Mouse
Personal drug regimens based on xenograft mice harboring a single patient’s tumor still need to prove their true utility in medicine.