Tuesday, August 1, 2000 1 Aug 2000: News Release New Center to
Look for Precise Step When a Cell Tips Toward Death, Disease
NIEHS scientists foresee that it soon may be possible to
determine the exact molecular step - the precise moment in a
vast array of cellular processes - in which a chemical disrupts
a normal cell's balance, tipping it either toward cell death or
damaged survival and/or uncontrolled growth. Not only, they say,
will scientists pinpoint the "when" and "where," but also the
"how" of cancer and many other diseases. Top NIEHS scientists
want to be there, doing that - producing the molecular
information that should help doctors and drug companies halt,
cure or modify diseases. If you can spot the early molecular
turning points, they are convinced, you can find ways to deflect
the resulting diseases. NIEHSers are laying plans: As a home for
the coordination of this work in the extramural community as
well as at NIEHS, NIEHS executives foresee the creation of a
"National Center for Toxicogenomics