zombie cells in cancer

Cancer is a progressive disease which requires cells to be transformed. Each stage requires tumor suppression to be deactivated.

My son’s charter high school had a Halloween activity that generated interest in Zombies.

How do we begin training young people in cancer?

Through biology classes for teenagers?

In the Peace Corps we educated teenagers in AIDS/HIV to get the word out.

We used 18 yr old women, Community Health Aids, in Jamaica weighing babies as the best method of introducing condoms and virus understanding.

Adults were responsive to their teens, not health professionals.

How do you attract teenagers to cancer? Zombies?

My son has watched the Will Smith movie “I Am Legend” about creating zombies via a cancer vaccine.

He has taken college biology at a local college at 16 because of his interest in zombies.

We proposed finding zombies in biology as an activity.

One topic that students were very interested in was how cancer was like a zombie in our bodies.

How do viruses create zombie cells that lead to cancer?

Recent work at Salk is leading the way to tumor understanding.

This woman is revolutionizing cancer research.

The video in the article shows cells preparing to become cancerous.

A virus creates a polymer that disables tumor suppressor genes (P53). She has identified zombie cells transformed and ready for cancer to develop.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-cold-viruses-cancer-therapies.html

Could students build a model of the tumor suppressor genes in http://Blender.org?

Build your own Zombie virus?

The World War Z book and audio book is checked out of libraries all over the US by teens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_Z

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/watch-the-world-war-z-trailer-with-swarms-of-the-undead-2012119/

I worked with Los Alamos scientists modeling HIV using tools to discover viruses like these.

Now they are free for anyone.

Build your own incurable virus, Solanum? Teens asked the question, is it possible?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_modelling

http://cmm.cit.nih.gov/

http://rosalind.info/about/

http://fold.it/portal/

EPMV can be added to blender to create 3D images of molecules.

http://epmv.scripps.edu/download-install-free/perhost

http://www.scivee.tv/node/12094

http://bioblender.eu/

Build your own incurable virus, Solanum?

Not likely, but build a game in Blender with teens?

This activity has teens talking about cancer, vaccines, viruses, zombies and biology/computers.

It has created interest in cancer biology among teens.

A subject they ignored in the past.

Cancer is the fastest growing cost in Medicare/Medicaid.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44671951/ns/health-cancer/t/cancer-costs-becoming-unsustainable-many-countries/

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2011/nci-12.htm

Medicaid surpasses K-12 in State budgets.

http://www.decisionsonevidence.com/2012/01/for-state-budgets-medicaid-surpasses-k-12-spending/