“The day that science doesn't get me up in the morning and make me love these questions, it’s not right for me. But, until then, I just keep doing it and keep going for the questions we don’t have answers to.”
Meet Andrew Goldstein. Like many young investigators, the prospect of new discovery and hope to transform lives and cure disease keeps him excited about science and the possibilities it can open up. In addition to being an ex pro lacrosse player, Andrew is also an assistant researcher at Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA, where he focuses on developing new scientific approaches to tackling advanced prostate cancer.
In 2010, Andrew was part of a team of scientists who identified for the first time a cell-of-origin for human prostate cancer, a discovery that could result in better predictive and diagnostics tools and the development of more effective targeted treatments for the disease. His passion and drive as both an athlete and a scientist fuel his work towards a cure.
"Health and disease affects everybody," says Andrew. "Whether it's obesity, cancer, heart disease ... it's something that is in everybody’s life. So investing in research and understanding ‘what is the basis of disease’ is absolutely essential.”
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, 1 in 6 men are diagnosed with Prostate Cancer each year, and more than 30,000 lives are cut short in that same time frame because of the disease. That’s 30,000 men that don’t get more time with their families, won’t go to their granddaughter’s recital, won’t go back to work on Monday and don’t get a choice in the matter. And this is just ONE disease.
Science has never been more promising, but the outlook for funding for young investigators like Andrew – the future of the medical research enterprise – has never been more worrisome. Learn what you can do to help make medical research a national priority by visiting Time=Lives.
See more stories like Andrew’s about the power and promise of medical research, and tell us why it matters to you. Here's how to get involved:
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Relevant Links
* Facts about prostate cancer
* The struggle to employ young investigators
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