Eunike Velleuer – författare

Cancer is a collection of diseases that can affect basically every organ of our body, all of which have in common uncontrolled cellular growth. The cells forming our body have the potential to grow in the context of wound healing or for the constant replacement of cells in our blood, skin or intestine. Behind every newly diagnosed malignant tumor in adulthood there is an individual history of probably 20 or more years of tumorigenesis. Therefore, malignant tumor formation often takes time making cancer in most cases to an aging-related disease that we seem not to be able to evade. However, tumorigenesis is dependent on multiple environmental influences, many of which we have under control by lifestyle decisions, such as retaining from smoking, selecting healthy food and being physically active. Thus, cancer preventive interventions are the most effective way to fight against cancer. 

This textbook wants not only to describe basic mechanisms leading to cancer but also to provide the readers with a more holistic view including cancer surveaillance mechanisms of the immune system. We will place these insights in the context of the personal consequences of everyone’s lifestyle decisions. The content of the book is linked to the lecture course in “Cancer Biology”, which is given by Prof. Carlberg since 2005 at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio. Moreover, biological processes explained in this book will be set into a clinical context using the experience of Dr. Velleuer in the daily care in oncology. This book also relates to the textbooks “Mechanisms of Gene Regulation: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-030-52321-3), “Human Epigenetics: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-030-22907-8) and “Nutrigenomics: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-030-36948-4), the studying of which may be interesting to readers who like to get more detailed information.

The fascinating area of molecular medicine provides a molecular and cellular description of health and disease. Starting with the understanding of gene regulation and epigenetics, i.e., the interplay of transcription factors and chromatin, this book will provide an fundamental basis of nearly all processes in physiology, both in health as well as in most common disorders, such as cancer, diabetes as well as in autoimmune diseases. Most non-communicable human diseases have a genetic (= inherited) as well as an epigenetic component. The later one is based on our lifestyle choices and environmental exposures. Many common diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, can be explained only to some 20% via a genetic predisposition. We cannot change the genes that we are born with but we can take care of the remaining 80% being primarily based on our epigenome. Therefore, there is a high level of individual responsibility for staying healthy. Thus, not only biologists and biochemists should be aware of this topic, but all students of biomedical disciplines will benefit from being introduced into the concepts of molecular medicine. This will provide them with a good basis for their specialized disciplines of modern life science research. The book is subdivided into 42 chapters that are linked to a series of lecture courses in “Molecular Medicine and Genetics”, “Molecular Immunology”, “Cancer Biology” and “Nutrigenomics” that is given by one of us (C. Carlberg) in different forms since 2002 at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio. This book represents an updated version and fusion of the books textbooks “Mechanisms of Gene Regulation: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-030-52321-3), “Human Epigenetics: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-030-22907-8). “Molecular Immunology: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-031-04024-5), “Cancer Biology: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-030-75699-4) and “Nutrigenomics: How Science Works” (ISBN 978-3-030-36948-4). By combining basic understanding of cellular mechanism with clinical examples, the authors hope to make this textbook a personal experience. A glossary in the appendix will explain the major specialist’s terms.

Aging is a topic that concerns all of us, since none of us can escape it. The molecular and cellular process is built in every of the billions of cells forming our body. Some of these cells, such as immune cells and red blood cells, live only for a few days to weeks and get life-long constantly replaced by cells produced in the bone marrow. In contrast, there are cells, such as neurons and memory lymphocytes, that get as old as we get.

The process of aging limits our maximal life span, which is for us humans 120 years. However, only a very few individuals reached this age. How did their life differ from others that died decades earlier? Is it just the absence of life threatening disease paired with a more healthy life style? Or is it build in in our genome or epigenome? In this book we try to give answers to these questions from the perspectives of evolution, our genome, the epigenomes of our different tissues and cell types and the functionality of our cells.

We should try to understand ourselves in detail as well as in a global setting. Basic biology explains cellular mechanisms, such as growth, differentiation, and cell death, which make life as a whole possible. Every (human) organism represents a complex interplay between hundreds of different cell types forming distinctive tissues and organs with specialized tasks. These processes need to be highly orchestrated especially during development, maintenance and aging. Studying the cellular and molecular basis of aging is one of the most fascinating areas but also a great challenge. Nevertheless, research made the biggest steps in elucidating biological processes via studying malfunctions of normal mechanisms leading to different diseases, such as progeroid syndrome and cancer.

We will start this book with the understanding of the human genome in relation to principles of evolution. Then we will explain the basics of gene regulation and epigenetics, i.e., the interplay of transcription factors and chromatin. Next, we will shift to cellular mechanisms of aging and discuss then the impact of nutrition and immunity on the aging process. In the following the relation of aging to so-called aging-related common diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, cancer and Alzheimer. Do we get these diseases because we are aging or are we aging because we get one of these diseases? The book will end how we can slow down the aging process so that we can age healthy. In short, healthy aging is not an option but is a must. An ancient poem says “Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” It is up to each one of us and a daily decision to live a healthy lifestyle and to be aware of the unique gift of live we all have.