Sister Act

My sister, Peggy (Participating Faculty: Margaret Black), is working on a suicide gene project to get cancer cells to kill themselves.

"My research involves a combination of molecular evolution, pathway engineering and extensive in vitro and in vivo analyses to improve and evaluate suicide genes for gene therapy of cancer. Random sequence mutagenesis is used to create millions of enzyme variants of Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 thymidine kinase and other enzymes from which a small subset of "super mutants" are selected by genetic complementation for subsequent biochemical and kinetic studies. Molecular modeling of the active site of this enzyme and variants has provided further insights on how the enzyme might be altered to improve prodrug activation and therefore enhance tumor ablation for a safer and more effective cancer cure. The creation of new enzymes through molecular evolution as well as the development of 'evolved' suicide gene variants in cancer gene therapy is anchored in biotechnology. My lab not only utilizes advances in biotechnology to create enzymes for biotechnology applications, we are also involved in the development of novel molecular technologies."



Last week she finished the Norman Vaughn Serum Run, a recreation of the 1925 dogsleed marathon to deliver medicine to Nome (before planes had closed cockpits or heaters). I think it took her 22 days to cross Alaska and on the last day the weather finally got up to a balmy 2 degrees above zero. It took them a couple extra days because it was too cold for the dogs (below 50 below) and too windy to see beyond the first dog butt.

"Growing up in California, I had cats and surfed. Things have changed a bit. Now I live in the high desert of Eastern Washington with 20 purebred Siberian Huskies and dream of running a sleddog team through the Alaskan wilderness as a participant in the 2007 Norman Vaughan Serum Run. It all started when I met a guy (he later became my husband) with a gorgeous Siberian Husky named Olaf. I got a female Siberian as a companion for Olaf while I was in graduate school. A chewed-through chain link fence later (plus about 2 months), we had the beginnings of our first team. When my husband died from cancer, 10 years ago, I was left with 7 Siberians. Running dogs had been my husband's passion (I was busy with graduate school) and I had only run the dogs a few terrifying times. Friends and family asked if I was going to keep 'all those dogs'. For me there was no choice, they were our family and I wanted to better understand what this sport that so captivated my husband was about. My first year running dogs made me very mad. Why hadn't he told me how fabulous this thing called mushing was?!!! While I'm not able to share running dogs with him, this year I am looking forward to sharing the experiences of the Serum Run with my fellow participants.

In 1998, I moved to Pullman, WA with 7 dogs to take a faculty position at Washington State University. Equally challenging to running dogs is running a research laboratory, training students and post-doctoral fellows, teaching pharmacy students and all the activities that an academic career requires. I am fortunate to work with a wonderful group of researchers who share my drive to find new approaches to cure cancer. The history of the serum run to deliver diphtheria antitoxin by dog team relay to Nome resonates with me not only as a dog musher but also as a biomedical scientist and educator.

Over the past 10 years my kennel has grown as has my love for the sport of mushing, and has developed in ways I could never have predicted. Participating in the Serum Run is a dream primed to become a reality for me. And yeah, it's a long way from cats and surfing the Californian waves. "

Wait a second. Is this the same person I used to punch in the arm for looking out the window on my side of the car? Who liked the color pink and horses and always made her bed (damn her!)?

Congratulations, Peggy, on your race across Alaska while I was twiddling the knob on my electric blanket. On working on enzyme therapy while I was picking up hair magazines and empty juice cups left by thoughtless customers and kicking sugar-stealing bums out of the store (OK, I sold some copies of the terrible The Secret, too). http://www.serumrun.org/MargaretBlack.html