Write a Cancer Review paper covering the recommended topic related to current cancer research.
Cancer Review Recommended Topic:
Challenges in targeting RAS-mutant cancers
Wilson CY, Tolias P. Recent advances in cancer drug discovery targeting RAS. Drug
Discov Today. 2016 Dec;21(12):1915-1919. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.08.002.
Review. PubMed PMID: 27506872.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Cancer Review Paper: Challenges in Targeting RAS-Mutant Cancers
Introduction
Targeting RAS-mutant cancers has long been a challenge in cancer research due to the elusive nature of RAS proteins and their pivotal role in tumorigenesis. In the review article by Wilson and Tolias (2016), titled “Recent advances in cancer drug discovery targeting RAS,” the authors explore the complexities of developing effective therapies against RAS-mutant cancers. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive literature review on the challenges faced in targeting RAS-mutant cancers, identify gaps in current knowledge, and formulate a focused research question to address these gaps.
Literature Review
RAS proteins, including KRAS, HRAS, and NRAS, are frequently mutated in various cancers, such as pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers. These mutations lead to constitutive activation of RAS signaling pathways, promoting tumor growth and resistance to standard therapies. Despite decades of research, direct targeting of mutant RAS proteins has proven challenging due to their high affinity for GTP and complex conformational changes. Current approaches focus on downstream effectors of RAS signaling, such as RAF and MEK inhibitors, but resistance mechanisms often emerge, limiting their efficacy.
Gaps in Knowledge
While progress has been made in understanding the biology of RAS-mutant cancers and developing targeted therapies, significant gaps persist in achieving durable responses and overcoming resistance mechanisms. Key gaps include the lack of effective direct inhibitors of mutant RAS proteins, incomplete understanding of adaptive signaling pathways in response to targeted therapies, and the need for predictive biomarkers to guide treatment selection for RAS-mutant cancers.
Research Question
Research Question: How can we overcome the challenges in targeting RAS-mutant cancers by developing novel therapeutic strategies that directly inhibit mutant RAS proteins?
PICO Statement:
– Population: Patients with RAS-mutant cancers
– Intervention: Novel therapeutic strategies targeting mutant RAS proteins
– Comparison: Current standard therapies or downstream effectors inhibitors
– Outcome: Improved response rates, prolonged progression-free survival, and reduced emergence of resistance mechanisms
Conclusion
In conclusion, targeting RAS-mutant cancers presents a formidable challenge in cancer research, necessitating innovative approaches to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes. By formulating a focused research question that addresses the gaps in current knowledge and leveraging emerging technologies and drug discovery platforms, researchers can elucidate novel therapeutic strategies that directly target mutant RAS proteins, leading to more effective treatments for patients with RAS-mutant cancers.
