Viva the Revolution … Twice!

By Nick Jacobs

On a hillside in Windber, Pennsylvania there was a site where, hundreds of feet below, coal cars from the Berwind Coal company crossed all day, every day to contribute to the Industrial Revolution. The coal mined by immigrant workers was brought to the surface where it was used to contribute significantly to the world’s progress. 

This time, however, that same hillside would be used to initiate the first step necessary to help women all over the world. The soon-to-be nationally recognized Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center, with significant design input from breast cancer survivors, was carefully constructed there.

This center, which was dedicated to breast health, was just the beginning of a dream created by the leadership at then-Windber Medical Center. You see, it wasn’t enough to simply provide a world-class treatment center for breast health; there had to be more. 

The additional pieces of this complex puzzle would include research in the areas of both genomics and proteogenomics. This effort would be initiated to begin to definitively piece together the myriad complications associated with the various cancers that plagued women. 

Were these cancers primarily genetic, or were they associated more readily with environmental challenges created by toxic chemicals, additives, and other toxins we are exposed to during our daily lives? To answer these questions, however, pristine collections of donated human tissue from the patients impacted by these assaults on their bodies were needed.

Almost ironically, as the Windber Research Institute (now the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Molecular Medicine) was constructed, the workers, this time PhD researchers, were recruited again from all over the world. However, it was tissue and not coal that was the treasured property that would allow progress in another revolution, a scientific revolution that could eventually lead to cures for breast cancer. 

The ground-breaking initiatives that resulted from these efforts now reside in a research institute houing a vast collection of tissue samples from cancer patients spanning diverse demographics. Each sample holds a unique story of resilience and a silent testament to the hope that can be extracted from the fragile cells encased in aliquot tubes frozen in liquid nitrogen.

Unlike the coal produced in the previous revolution, these samples represent a treasure trove of biological material that might help propel cancer research. It is all about the potential to unravel the mysteries and unlock the secrets to effective treatments that fuel this effort. 

This tissue now functions as a type of biological bridge to the future of medicine. Every donated tissue is a testament to the giving nature of its donors who want to “play it forward,” and each frozen sample captures the genetic nuances of the various cancer types. 

Dr. Stella Somiari, who organizes and ensures the continuity of the tissue collection, works with Dr. Hai Hu, Chief Scientific Officer, and Tom Kurtz, CEO as well as other collaborators. Their goal is to arm scientists with a comprehensive understanding of the genetic makeup of the tumors so that individualized treatments and precision targeting will become the future of cancer care. Specific individual genetic mutations unique to each patient will allow tailored treatment planning that may help defeat sometimes seemingly unbeatable odds. 

Finally, Windber also provides a sort of global nexus for scientific exchange with researchers from all corners of the world. With partnerships that include the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, the researchers of Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and academic medical centers across the world, this collaboration was built to accelerate the pace of discoveries and propel the field of research in unprecedented speed. 

As the 13th century Italian poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri ("Dante") once wrote, “From a little spark may burst a flame.” This effort in Windber, Pennsylvania should serve as a reminder that it is the responsibility of science to push the boundaries of knowledge to create a better future for us all.

Nick Jacobs is a partner with SMR, LLC and founder of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, former board member of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, Jacobs maintains a website, Healinghospitals.com.