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Asked by bacon to Sam on 4 Jul 2012.
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Sam Chilka answered on 4 Jul 2012:
Hi bacon
I’m afraid I don’t invent things in my job. I look at cells and tissue samples which have been removed from people when they are ill. I look at the cells with a microscope, and I can tell by the way the cells look what is wrong with the patient – for example does the patient have cancer – and what kind of cancer it might be. The doctors and nurses treating the patient then use this info to plan the best treatment for the patient.
I am involved in some research looking at the faulty genes in bladder cancers, and seeing which faulty genes might predict whether the patient can be cured with radiation therapy – that’s the closest I’ve come to “inventing” something!
The great thing about my job is that I am learning new things all the time. 🙂
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Comments
Jonathan commented on :
A colleague and I invented a way to send laboratory reports on patients from computers in laboratories to computers in general practices. It’s now used by every laboratory and every general practice in the UK.
Then we worked out how to use web technology to communicate lots of medical information to lots of doctors.
And I was a small contributor in a team which developed a better process for making sure that the right blood gets transfused into the right patient.
Sam commented on :
Wow that sounds great Jonathan!
Jonathan commented on :
Someone has just reminded me that I was part of the team that analysed milk from giant pandas for the first time. Some giant pandas aren’t very good at being mothers, and now we know what milk to give the cubs if the mothers won’t feed them.