Bilatzailea
Antonio Banderas
Looking at the title of my column, I’m sure you’ve been surprised. But don’t worry, I won’t use these lines to talk about the role of the couch in Spain. I'll explain the matter. According to what I read the other day, actor Antonio Banderas will give a grant to cure pancreatic cancer to researcher Mariano Barbacid of the National Center for Oncological Research (CNIO). The headline caught my attention, because I think statements like “cure pancreatic cancer” are big waters.
I know that in recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about the scientific discovery made by the team of researcher Barbacid. By using a combination of three drugs, pancreatic cancer has been eliminated in mice. The results of the study were published in the PNAS magazine in December last year, and although initially it did not have much impact, a press conference given by Barbacide in January brought the news to many media. Since then, Barbacid itself has been requesting funding for clinical trials with its drug combination in the most watched television programs.
Without downplaying the importance of the discovery made by Barbacide’s research team, I think the communication on this issue has been very poor. I have read in many lines that a cure for pancreatic cancer has been found, and it has been confirmed in television programs that treatment can reach humans in 2-3 years. All of this has created a terrible turmoil. On the one hand, pancreatic cancer patients and their families have approached the doors of the CNIO to volunteer for clinical trials. On the other hand, there have been numerous individuals who have applied for funding for Barbacid research.
With all this in mind, I would like to end with two reflections. On the one hand, in order not to create false expectations in society, and especially in the sick, it is essential to communicate the results of biomedical research with precision, humility and prudence. I think it’s especially important when it comes to the cure of a deadly disease like pancreatic cancer.
On the other hand, research funding should not look like an auction. What would happen if all researchers went to large audience programs for funding? Although public funding for research is scarce, there are calls for competition for it. It analyzes the trajectory, results and ideas of the research groups and allocates the money according to these parameters. I don’t mean that Barbacide doesn’t deserve funding, but surely there are researchers who work and work as well as he does, even if his research doesn’t appear in prime time programs.
Not everything is worth it.
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