Researchers are currently investigating gene therapy to explore ways to treat Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) which is a bone marrow disease that patients mostly sixty years and older suffer from. MDS also can turns into acute myeloid leukemia. Researchers are now able to create a better understanding of what drives the development of this disease.
In the article the author explained “The researchers believe examining RhoB levels in samples from patients with advanced MDS could help direct them to better treatment options.” Researchers are trying to come up with new treatments to help. In the United States 15,000 people a year are affected by MDS. When someone has MDS they do not have enough blood cells and their body creates abnormal blood cells which causes side effects. These side effects include fatigue, bruising, bleeding, a weak immune system, shortness of breath, and fevers. Albert has advanced in his research work. The article stated, “This breakthrough in our knowledge has the potential to provide us with both new avenues of research, as well as new insights to develop improved treatments for MDS, and other disorders.” Explaining the improvements we are making into helping provide for people who are suffering from this disease.
A quote I like from the article is Albert saying, “Our goal is to identify novel therapeutic targets and develop new drugs that affect their activity, but also to find ways to improve upon existing therapeutic strategies that are often associated with deleterious side effects” This is beneficial to the article because it simply states the reasoning for Albert’s research, there is no confusion of his intentions. He used a language that was easy for people to understand rather than using terms her would use when researching or speaking to another colleague.
I liked how the article was short and to the point. However, since I am not an expert on this topic I would have liked more explanation of MDS and what has been done in the past to treat the disease. I can do my own research but I would have liked the article to go into more depth in the beginning. Also, more specifically what types of advances are researchers trying to make, such as treatment options. On the other hand, I liked the statistics it told readers, making them aware of who and how many people are diagnosed with MDS. Having no knowledge previously on this topic, I am now more aware of the advances trying to be made.
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