Pancreatic cancer is a killer. It killed Italian opera legend Luciano Pavarotti and Apple supremo, Steve Jobs. It may be killing someone you hold dear.
One of the reasons why pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that is very hard to treat. Chemotherapy, the usual treatment, is at best a hit and miss solution. It usually, alas, misses.
Well, Italian biomedical entrepreneur Laura Indolfi, the CEO and co-founder of PanTher Therapeutics may have found a solution that both treats pancreatic cancer. Not only this, the treatment also helps prevent cancerous tumors from spreading to other organs.
What is Laura Indolfi’s revolutionary treatment for this deadly killer cancer? She explains in this TED Talk video:
Interesting, isn’t it?
By the way, Ms Indolfi holds a MS/BS degree in materials science and engineering and a PhD in biomaterials from the University of Naples Federico II in Italy. After that, this Italian brain moved to the United States of America where she joined the Harvard-MIT Division of health, science and technology. Why didn’t she stay in Italy?
One is willing to bet good money that Italy’s research allergic mentality, aversion to merit and general shortsightedness played a major part in Ms Indolfi’s decision to seek a more farsighted culture. One could be wrong, but one strongly doubts one is.
Not so long ago I chatted to an Italian cancer specialist who is still in Italy. She used to work at a cancer research institute in Italy but now works for an American biomedical group. Why did she leave? Mainly because of the poor future for research in Italy.
If only Ms Indolfi and many other bright Italian researchers could be offered opportunities in Italy. That, sadly, is not likely to happen.
Sadly, rather too many of Italy’s political masters prefer squandering public money or spiriting it away to their own private bank accounts than to promote research and development.
Still, at least Ms Indolfi managed to find a welcome somewhere and she may well end up helping save more than a few lives as a result.
Laura Indolfi’s innovative pancreatic cancer counts as a Good Italian Thing – what a pity she’s not be able to develop her treatment in Italy.
