Mina Bissell: Experiments that point to a new understanding of cancer

The video explores the speaker's journey from a chemist to a cancer researcher, challenging traditional cancer theories. It emphasizes the role of context and microenvironment in cell behavior, particularly in cancer development. Through experiments, the speaker demonstrates how the extracellular matrix influences cell behavior and how altering the architecture can revert cancer cells to normal. The talk concludes with a call for curiosity and further exploration in understanding the language of form in biology.

What does the speaker compare themselves to when discussing thinking outside the box?

• A fish

• A cat

• A dog

• A bird

What is the main question raised about cell differentiation in developmental biology?

• How do cells communicate with each other?

• Why do cells have different colors?

• How do cells with the same genetic material form different tissues?

• Why do cells multiply?

What was the first cancer virus discovered by Rous in 1911?

• A virus causing tumors in fish

• A virus causing tumors in mice

• A virus causing tumors in chickens

• A virus causing tumors in humans

What does the speaker suggest about the role of microenvironment in cancer development?

• It has no effect on cancer development

• It dictates the behavior of cancer cells

• It only affects normal cells

• It is irrelevant to cancer research

What is the significance of the extracellular matrix in the speaker's experiments?

• It is a waste product of cells

• It signals cells to behave in certain ways

• It is a type of cancer cell

• It provides nutrients to cells

What hypothesis did the speaker test regarding cancer cells?

• Cancer cells cannot be reverted to normal

• Architecture can make cancer cells behave normally

• Cancer cells are always malignant

• Normal cells can become cancerous without any change

What does the speaker emphasize about the relationship between form and function?

• Function is more important than form

• They interact dynamically and reciprocally

• They are unrelated

• Form is more important than function

What does the speaker suggest about the future of cancer research?

• It is a closed field with no new discoveries

• There are many mysteries and discoveries yet to be made

• It should ignore the role of the microenvironment

• It should focus only on genetic sequences

What does the speaker say about the language of form?

• It is the same as the language of genes

• It is less important than genetic sequences

• It is completely unknown

• It is well understood

What advice does the speaker give to students and post-docs?

• Avoid thinking outside the box

• Be arrogant to succeed

• Focus only on existing knowledge

• Stay curious and open to new discoveries