Rating: 
Summary: Now I know what "seminal" means
Review: Folkman is a paradox in the medical research world. He is a highly talented and committed surgeon by training - a profession ruthlessly focused on "results - now!" and often comically averse to academic molecular research. At the same time, following an early experiment during his conscription days for the navy, he set himself a path of just such academic molecular research. Part of the troubles he's had come from the cognitive dissonance that accompanies his appearance at conferences - the scientists don't want to hear a surgeon lecture to them, and neither do surgeons want a scientists to speak. In combining two disciplines he often fell between two stools. More than that though, his focus on angiogenesis initially made no sense at all for cancer research. When he first postulated that stopping a tumour required stopping the blood vessels, he was often, and probably justifiably, laughed at. At the time, researchers were elucidating the reasons for a normal cell's conversion into a cancerous one. Painstaking molecular experiments pointed to a sequence of random mutations, whose accumulation correlated with the cancer's aggressiveness. Be it radiation, viruses or old age, the common mechanism of all these tumour causing agents was their ability to induce mutations in cells. Stop the mutations, and you stop the cancer. Why on earth bother with the surrounding, normal, non-cancerous blood vessels? Folkman's epiphany, and subsequent stubbornness, rests upon the experiments he performed while in the Navy. Given free reign after completing his initial assignment, he teamed up with a pathologist. They played around with tumour cultures. Growing them in petri dishes, they observed a mysterious phenomenon. Although the tumours grew aggressively once placed on a mouse' skin, they would not grow beyond 1 mm on the dishes. Comparing the tissue on the dishes with the tissue on the skin, the only difference was the presence of blood vessels in the latter. So began Folkman's long journey. And it is a fascinating and historic journey. Along the way, he became Harvard's youngest ever Professor of Surgery. In particular, it was an appointment in Paediatric Surgery, at the Boston Children's Hospital - an appointment that shocked many, as he never been in formal Paediatric training. This was soon remedied by a personal, intensive 6-month course with the great Dr C Evert Koop himself, the father of paediatric surgery. Later, as he struggled for funding to research his ideas, he inked a multi-million dollar research agreement with Monsanto. This made history, as the first major agreement between a commercial enterprise and Harvard - at the time, staunchly refusing such tainted money. It opened up the floodgates for many future agreements, that lay the foundation for the reality of American research today - a lucrative and productive partnership between industry and academia, that helps maintain US research the envy of the world. Interspersed amongst this is a story of an intensely hard working young man, who attracts to his lab young researchers of similar nature. It took twenty years for his team to get the evidence the academic world needed to accept angiogenesis. But, they got it. And it's a great read to find out how. Truly - seminal.
Rating: 
Summary: Cure for cancer?
Review: Chances are someone close to you has succumbed to the ravages of cancer, while you and the medical establishment could only sit by and watch the process reach its inevitable conclusion. The good news is, for nearly 40 years, Dr. Judah Folkman has been pursuing a cure for cancer -- or at least a way to fight tumors more effectively than chemotherapy or radiation -- that only until very recently has garnered serious attention. Dr. Folkman's theory is called angiogenesis, the process by which cancer cells emit an agent which triggers the growth of blood vessels to feed the growth of the cancer itself. For years Dr. Folkman's idea was basically scoffed at as the flailings of an amateur researcher, but Cooke shows how Dr. Folkman has perservered -- while maintaining his brilliant career as a physician -- and eventually, through a slow accumulation of experimental evidence, as well as the discovery of several antiangionesis agents, turned opinion around. Throughout this engaging and fascinating retelling of Folkman's journey, Cooke also provides an eye-opening account of the workings of academia, medical research, and their relationships to those Orwellian biotech companies you keep hearing about. The science is clear and vivid, the battle to defeat cancer inspiring, and the promise of victory -- thankfully, finally -- just around the corner.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive science and persistence in the face of adversity
Review: Dr. Folkman is my kind of doctor and my kind of researcher. The science establishment in this country has always had a major problem with people who are different, whether they think differently, or appear different (hence the rush by scientists to practice negative eugenics on people with disabilities). Folkman asked the questions that needed to be asked concerning cancer and tumor production, and in spite of all the negative reviews and downright nastiness of his scientific peers, he persisted in practicing good science. This ultimately led to major discoveries about how cancer works, as well as other necessary biochemical information that is now taught on a daily basis to medical research students in neuroscience and other fields. Folkman is one of those people who are in science and medicine for the benefits of others, as well as because he enjoys what he does. These are the types of people who ultimately do the most good. They quietly persist in their endeavors, and let their work tell the story. Too many times, scientists allow their questions and the answers to those questions to be influenced by the egos of their peers, the quest for fame and money (especially in biotechnology and genetics), and by fear of ridicule. It is unfortunate that so much science is done in labs throughout the world in such a way as to crush those who have unique ideas and can add creativity to the scientific endeavor. Folkman obviously made his lab a wonderful place to work in. To do that and be a good teacher, as well as an excellent researcher (who cares if he is a surgeon...it's the questions that are asked and researched that are important, not who does the asking). Those who were able to work with him and in his lab had valuable experiences, that happens all too rarely in the labs in this country. I was lucky in that I got mentors who were neuropathologists who dealt with both patients and research, and they were great teachers. Cooke is a wonderful writer. I intend to look for his other books because he did such a wonderful job with a topic which could have been boring. He explained the science behind angiogenesis in such a way so everyone can understand it. He also described the not-so-nice and competitive world of research science...nailed all the personalities involved! I had to laugh at much of this because I totally understood about the biased peer review and the political games which go on in this world. Karen Sadler,
Science Education
Rating:
Summary: This is phenomenal!
Review: For a class assignment, I had to write a book review of a biography of a scientist. Being a cancer survivor, and particularly in touch with the issue as a good friend of mine died from a relapse this summer, I was interested in cancer research. When I chose Dr. Folkman's War, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was definitely better than what I had planned. As I began reading the book, I found I could not put it down! The lack of perfect chronology at times confused me for a minute or two, but it's not hard to pick up on. Anyone who has had their life touched - directly or indirectly - by cancer should definitely read this book. It takes you through a basic history of cancer research, and, having been written this year, ends with very current and pertinent information for anyone interested in the current direction of cancer treatment. For people struggling with a terminal illness, it is quite heartening to realize that there is a person out there who is working so hard to make you feel better. My favorite part of the book is at the end where Dr. Folkman tells some of his young proteges and interns to never ever tell a patient that nothing can be done. It may be small, but you can hold a patient's hand, and look out the hospital window with them, point to the research building and say, "Do you see that building over there? That's the research building. We're working on it."
Rating:
Summary: From the Far East
Review: I am really impressed by "Dr. Folkman's War." Somewhat different excitement from '"Genome" by Matt Ridley.
Dr. Folkman's broad mind and broad view of things are almost incredible. In the 'publish-or-perish' 'world of medicine, his broad-mindedness brought a great progress in the treatment of giant hemangioma, diabetic gangrene, diabetic retinopathy, or coronary heart disease, to say nothing of cancer therapy.
Dr. Isner's comment about Dr. folkaman is intriguing.
"Plenty of other people in that position, had they reviewed that paper, would have rejected it and then set their own laboratories to work on that subject, or they would maybe have stalled the paper, or done anything they could to have stomped out any potential competition. But he did just the opposite. He promoted it."
He was never territorial or overly protective of this field he had invented and happy to help other scientists push ahead, even if they were competitors.
He must be the ideal "Boss".
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting
Review: I have read quite a few books about the science of disease research and this is one of the best yet. Folkman's story is fascinating and Cooke tells it well. Highly recommended! Also recommended:"Decoding Darkness" on Alzheimer's by Tanzi and Parson
Rating: 
Summary: interesting story, but ......
Review: I work in this field of research. I do like the story of the persistance and creativity of Judah Folkman. However, the author stumbles in describing some of the science and the intellectual contributions of others that led to some of the Folkman lab's discoveries. After reading the reviewers' praise for Mr. Cooke's "detailed research " on the book's back cover, I was diappointed by some obvious errors in the book. I believe that most of the innaccuracies are the unfortunate result of the author's failure to corroborate all of his facts. He may have been in a hurry to get the book out, but I wish that he had taken a little more time to get the science and other facts straight.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Folkman is my hero -- a story better than SeaBiscuit!
Review: This book by Robert Cooke is incredible! Mr. Cooke is able to explain to the average layperson the medical concepts of angeiogeneis conceived by the most under-valued person of our time: Dr. Judah Folkman. Dr. Folkman is to cancer what Salk was to Polio! Personally, Dr. Judah Folkman is my hero! A real hero, deserving of the Nobel Prize....and I don't speak lightly. I am a cancer patient that has recently learned that my cancer (thought was beat) has advanced to my lungs. The ONLY therapy for me is in an ANGIOGENESIS drug therapy program for a drug currently in study and labeled as "PI-88." I am just so confident this drug will work. I am the only patient with my type of cancer cell (adenoid cystic carninoma), so I am a little bit more of a lab rat for this program. God Bless Dr. Folkman and h is incredible perserverance! His story should be a movie----a tale better than SeaBiscuit! He is my SeaBiscuit! LHH
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Folkman is my hero -- a story better than SeaBiscuit!
Review: This book by Robert Cooke is incredible! Mr. Cooke is able to explain to the average layperson the medical concepts of angeiogeneis conceived by the most under-valued person of our time: Dr. Judah Folkman. Dr. Folkman is to cancer what Salk was to Polio! Personally, Dr. Judah Folkman is my hero! A real hero, deserving of the Nobel Prize....and I don't speak lightly. I am a cancer patient that has recently learned that my cancer (thought was beat) has advanced to my lungs. The ONLY therapy for me is in an ANGIOGENESIS drug therapy program for a drug currently in study and labeled as "PI-88." I am just so confident this drug will work. I am the only patient with my type of cancer cell (adenoid cystic carninoma), so I am a little bit more of a lab rat for this program. God Bless Dr. Folkman and h is incredible perserverance! His story should be a movie----a tale better than SeaBiscuit! He is my SeaBiscuit! LHH
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Odyssey of Medical Innovation
Review: This book clearly deserves many more than five stars. Dr. Folkman's War contains many valuable insights including how to: Raise children to be outstanding people; be an astute observer about nature to unlock new lessons; pioneer in a new field of science; and be persistent about something important. When the history of medicine in the twentieth century is written, Dr. Judah Folkman will be considered one of the most important figures. This book is the most accessible and complete source of information about his remarkable life and accomplishments. Dr. Folkman's research to date "has found applications in twenty-six diseases as varied as cancer, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, psoriasis, arthritis, and endometriosis." "Ordinarily, researchers working in any of these fields do not communicate with each other." Angiogenesis looks at the way that capillaries are formed in response to the body's biochemistry to help and harm health. Tumors depend on this action to get the blood supply they need to grow. Wounds also rely on a similar mechanism to grow scar tissue. I have been following Dr. Folkman's career for over twenty-five years, and heard him speak about angiogenesis just a little over two years ago. Because I felt I was well-informed, I almost skipped this book. That would have been a major mistake on my part. Dr. Folkman's War contained much new and interesting information that helped me to better understand the lessons of Dr. Folkman's life, as well as the future implications of angiogenesis. Unknown to me, Dr. Folkman had also played a role as an innovator in implantable pacemakers, time-released drug implants, and specialized types of heart surgery before he began his serious assault on angiogenesis. The discoveries had their beginning in 1961 when he was a draftee in a Navy lab in Bethesda, Maryland. He noticed that tumors could not grow unless they first recruited their own capillaries to bring an increased blood supply. "Over time, he convinced himself that there had to be some way to block the growth of those blood vessels." He was right, but it took a long time before he knew any of the answers. In brief opening comments about the book, former surgeon general C. Everett Koop, M.D. and Sc.D. observed how this new science evolved. "In the 1970s, laboratory scientists didn't believe any of it." " . . . [T]he critics' objections were hushed for good in 1989." "In the 1990s, the criticisms came chiefly from the clinical side, and the pharmaceutical companies didn't want anything to do with angiogenesis." The story is a very heart-warming one. Dr. Folkman's father was a rabbi who asked each member of the family each night what she or he had learned that day. He also constantly implored his son to "Be a credit to your people." His father clearly thought that Dr. Folkman would also become a rabbi. Having announced his attention to become a physician, his father told him, "You can be a rabbi-like doctor." This injunction was one he took to heart, often seeking out his father's counsel on how to console the families of his patients. His first taste of how close mortality is to all of us was when his first two children inherited cystic fibrosis. The younger of the two died, and the older one needed lots of special care to deal with infections. This probably made him a better doctor, by helping him see things more from the patients' points of view. Space constraints keep me from discussing the book's description of how angiogenesis developed, but if you like stories about trail-blazing research, you will be amply rewarded. The key hurdles are described, along with the blind alleys that were followed. Anyone reading this will see how important it is to add new skills to the study of any new subject. I was particularly interested in the way that press reports tended to harm the progress of angiogenesis, either by annoying other scientists, attracting hucksters, or delaying key deals with potential partners. We often think about freedom of speech being helpful, but here the case is a mixed one. My only disappointment with the book is that it does not provide as much clinical data about the drugs under testing now as has been made public. That material would have made for fascinating reading. There are also natural substances that can cause a tumor to shrink, and clinical studies have been very successful in growing and shrinking tumors for some time. I suspect that some member of your family will live a longer, healthier life due to future treatments soon to be available using angiogenesis. This book is a great way to learn more about the subject now, so you can encourage exploration of these experimental therapies where possibly appropriate. If anyone in your family now has cancer, this book is must reading for you! Dr. Folkman summarized the book nicely as follows: "Success can often arrive dressed as failure." "If your idea succeeds everybody says you're persistent. If it doesn't succceed, you're stubborn." May we all live longer and healthier lives due to the emerging medical treatments using angiogenesis . . . that were helped by Dr. Folkman's persistence!
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