TO MY NEW STUDENTS:
Interview directed by Gustavo Fernandez in “The
Review”, Cultural Radio, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco’s System of Radio and
Television.
GF - … I think
that starting at this moment we are going to have a conversation for which we
are going to ask you most specially to put all the attention as Fernando Castro
Chavez is joining us, he is specialist in molecular biology and well, for the
very few words that we exchanged in a minute, I think there is not going to be
a second that we could miss in this dialog with Fernando. Thank you, Fernando
for visiting us, and welcome; and well, molecular biology, genetics, present,
future, here we have mixed so many things.
fdocc –
Yes, and specially, I am happy that you had received me, thank you very much,
and we can start by defining molecular biology.
GF – What’s
your specialty?
fdocc –
Well, the Ph.D. is in molecular biology, but before I did a master’s degree in
biotechnology.
GF - What
is molecular biology?
fdocc –
Molecular biology is the study of the structure of genes and their function. It
is, going to the smallest part of existence which is functional to sustain
life.
GF - ¿What
do you discover studying genes? ¿What could we find studying genetics; well, we
are interested in humans but in reality it is in everything?, because, every
living being has genetics.
fdocc – Yes, of course. For example, we can see
single analogies able to illustrate us the means and the area for this
specialty. In fruit flies, we ask ourselves, is this small red eyed fly able to
remember things?, to memorize things? Then, scientists put in one side a smell
coupled to an electric discharge and in the other side, another smell without
electricity, and they see if the fly is capable to relate the smell with
electricity and not go to that location, but to the opposite side. After that,
the scientist alters the genes using some mutagens when the flies are very
small and they find out if the fly is amnesia being unable to remember the
difference between the smell coupled to electricity and the smell without
electricity, the scientist studies which is exactly the altered gene, and in
that way it is possible to define the location of the genetic information
involved with memory; and the surprising thing is that even the smallest
animals, including bacteria, are able to remember things and to move
accordingly.
GF - ¿Which benefits can this bring to human
genetics?, because we know, for example, that already there are, and I have
seen it, for example, the sell of fluorescent fishes, in United States, you are
coming from there…
fdocc – Yes.
GF - …
rabbits with pink hair, I don’t know, such kina of things genetically
obtainable, but which benefits, apart of this show a little bit of bad taste
could be attained, ¿which benefits it offers to the human being?
fdocc - Yes, unfortunately the bad taste is
altering such genes, but that’s the only way to learn where are them located.
In the case of small animals, well, those are the ones that, so to speak, are
teaching us, offering us such knowledge. In the case of humans, genes are more
complex, with more variations, and based in what we learn from those animals,
we could be able to infer some things for the human organism, and very
carefully, to try, in humans, not to destroy genes, but to look for a way to
reversibly inhibit some noxious genes. For example, in the case of obesity, the
last study I did in the
GF – In the belly
fdocc – Exactly there, in male and a little
lower in women, and what we discovered is that if we cut deliberately such gene
in mice, no matter how much fat the little mouse ingests or more carbohydrates,
never will it get fatty, it keeps itself lean, meager and with strong muscles.
GF – Well, that will be hyper-excellent for us.
fdocc – Of course, there is a little collateral
effect, as God knows why he put such storage systems …
GF – Yes.
fdocc - …and the animal which lacks of the
storage units, if it stays for a long time at low temperatures, for example,
eight hours at four degrees, is able to start freezing if lacking food. Then,
it needs food, eating almost twice the wild-type animal, but it survives if in
the refrigerator it is food available.
GF – Well, here we have two topics that you
touched passing by but that I will like you to tell us something about them.
fdocc – Yes.
GF – When you mentioned creation, that God
knows why he did things. It is the religious concept involved in science and
science with religion in these topics?
fdocc – Well, for example, what happens is that
researchers have personal convictions, and based on those they can develop
research. For example, in my case, in my conviction, in my belief in a God
creator, I can in such a way to see the order, and try to find out what altered
such order, and to try to revert it. For example, in humans, it has been
investigated that natives of the north of
GF – Yes, science knows for example genetic
studies, for what are you telling us, of people in a region; for example, can
we say that we already know the genetics of Mexicans?
fdocc – Yes, it is known in part and there have
been selected specific genes; for example, what I was investigating in
GF - Where did you develop your research in the
fdocc – Well, we studied in the Baylor Collage
of Medicine, which is in touch with the
GF – “It is here, on the beach”, and related to
the current and concrete benefits that you could be able to mention us related to
chronic-degenerative diseases or some other malady, as you mentioned
alcoholism, but that could be applied now for the normal patient in relation to
genetics, what can you tell us?.
fdocc – Certainly, for example from molecular
biology studies it was discovered that apart of the insulin injection, there is
another alternative which is an oral medicament, I won’t provide the commercial
name, but there is already oral medicine to counteract Diabetes…
GF – ¡There is such medicament!
fdocc – …And was based on molecular biology.
Then, it saves Diabetic people the pain of insulin injections every day through
this oral ingestion …
GF – So, that is with a small oral capsule …
fdocc – Yes, it can be one in the morning,
another in the night, and when the person is normalized, it is possible to
reduce the consumption of this capsule and to try to improve diet and exercise.
Because all of these medicaments unfortunately make the person addictive to
them, which means, an obese person desiring to get lean with a reversible
inhibitor to be discovered, that we may be able to discover, God first, will
depend on such substance to lower its weight, and when that person stops taking
it, the process will start reverting if the person lacks of the education to
eat correctly and the will to do exercise. This is then a combination of
things, first, it will be to provide the treatment, then, when the person gets
excited looking how it gets lean again, to teach her how to eat correctly,
small amounts, and to do exercise, to increase the activity.
GF – I don’t say it is difficult to believe
because we are talking about science, but really the diet that we have here in
Mexico is not helpful to achieve that modifying, it won’t be so easy what you
are saying because we are totally used to eat carbohydrates, fats and the most
the best because we enjoy it more.
fdocc – Certainly, and we go to the
GF – (smile)
fdocc – The irony is, for example, we have
antiobesity congresses in the
GF – (SMILE)
fdocc – Which is to say, the key relies in the
will of the person and I think that no matter how many medicines will be
discovered, if a person lacks the will, she will revert to obesity, or will
became a dependent on chemicals, a medical substance able to help her on
reducing weight.
GF – In what we talked before we entered to the
microphone, we saw that all these advances, this genetic and molecular
manipulation is welcome, but if it falls in hands of people that is going to
use it in benefit of humanity. That’s a very delicate topic with ethics in
between.
fdocc – Indeed, absolutely. To us researchers
it is really discouraging when higher powers in the sense of more political,
with more economy than the researcher, they take it for their personal means
and then, they hide it for the higher classes and not provide it to the general
population, or they use it for their particular ends, and this is sad.
GF – And unfortunately it is something that
happens …
fdocc – Yes…
GF - … I say, without specifying particulars,
but that’s something present to be very careful about, ¿no?
fdocc – Of course, and with extreme discretion
and wisdom to try to counteract it, without a total exposure.
GF - ¿Do we have already available genetic
modifications useful for man in his daily life, that we are using without
knowing it, are those already here?
fdocc – For example, many foods already have
genetic advantages, including if only obtained through selection, I mean, I
agree that before using aggressive technologies in the laboratory, we have the
beauty of Mendel methods for genetic improvement, where you for example select
the bigger tomatoes and from there you have better production, or you select
cows producing milk and you obtain a better yield. It is to say that with the
simple cross-breeding methods, which is a key forgotten for many people because
is time consuming and work intense, you can even obtain new varieties of
organisms.
GF – Now that you mention milk, I want to ask,
in a TV program they said that in
fdocc – Certainly.
GF – Then it called my attention because it is
to obtain an animal producing something specific to provide for a need.
fdocc – Yes, in that case the gene producing a
substance is inserted and then, when people drinks that milk, the medicine is
already there, it’s like instead of swallowing the capsule that we commented
before to counteract diabetes, instead of the injection of insulin...
GF – Your little glass of milk..
fdocc - … instead of the capsule, now it will
be a glass of enriched milk with the medicament.
GF – Now, I would like to ask about the famous
genetic maps that it has been talked a lot in these last years here in
fdocc – Still today it is very expensive,
there’s already the technology to put in a slide thousands of genes, their
alterations and variations and when the extract is put above them, for example
of DNA taken from the blood of a person, it can be seen which genes are the
ones susceptible in a person, then, if that is detected in an early age,
obesity can be se prevented, as well as diabetes even before its first
symptoms. But, right now that continues being very expensive, but I am
confident that in the future costs are going down and this can be a general
treatment for all the people. It’ll be prevention medicine.
GF – How long it’ll take for a baby born in the
Social Security to pick his genetic CD under his arm? How long?
fdocc – Well, the simplest thing will be that
people get conscious to see how is the family antecedent, that will provide
some idea. For example, if the family history is that my grandfather had
diabetes and my father as well, it is possible that the child be bearing the
damaged gen. Then, that gives us some idea about which genes to look closely.
All of this will tell us: O.K., I am not going to study genes related with
other aspect, for example digestion, if what I need to see is how to control
diabetes. Then, specifically I will take a lesser number of genes related to
the development of diabetes and maybe that will reduce costs and we could be
able to analyze specific genes. Because the slide with thousands of genes is
very general and even now it’s very expensive and basically it is used more
than anything to do basic research.
GF – So, it still is somehow expensive to
obtain such genetic map. How is
fdocc – Yeah, for example this technology of
thousands of genes on a slide is very expensive and it is one of the reasons I
went to
GF – In none… I want to read you some of the
phone calls that we have received because it really puts us very happy.
Architect RB says “interesting talk”, he wanted you to be invited again, if it
can be a genetic program, well, hopefully we could do one. Miss LG is marveled,
fascinated with the conversation she would like you to be invited again as
“genetics is the profession of the future”, and of the present as well ¿no? So
many things have already been done …
fdocc – Affirmative.
GF – JM says “where can I locate the guest?
Congratulations for the quality of the same.” We also have Miss Lupita, “very
interesting interview, please, invite him again”. Her husband is obese and she
is very interested in the issue. Yes, well, to all of us, it is interesting to
all of us. But these are not magic solutions, ¿no? There must be a commitment
by the patient’s side, right?
fdocc - Certainly, of course, and more than
anything the study of the biosciences, which is something very beautiful. For
example, here in Mexico we have more than 300 organisms varieties of amphibians
and more than one thousand two hundred of reptiles, and for me as a researcher,
there should be a lot of antidotes that if we be able to concentrate them they
must help the person for example to reduce her weight or to control her
obesity.
GF – Here you told us, for example, of the
amphibians that regenerate their extremities, or for example, the ones that
live in stagnant waters and live without any infection, that is to say, how all
of this opens a magnificent field.
fdocc – Yes it is, for example in Patzcuaro we
have this variety of amphibians Ambystoma, the Axolotl, that if you cut one of
its little feet it grows again, and at the six months you start observing
though with a smaller size the little toes totally differentiated. The, again,
if us as researchers, when the animal embryo we altered their gene, and if then
is unable to regenerate, we can see exactly which gene is the one and study it
and compare it with the human, and we could think in the future in
organ-repairs for human beings.
GF – Well Fernando, thank you very much for
visiting us, we have many, many more topics to talk and hopefully, we hope that
this thing that you can stay in Puerto Vallarta more frequently, and that’s
what all the phone calls are requesting, that we may invite you again, so we
commit you to visit us again when you’ll be back here in Vallarta …
fdocc – Yes, I am so happy to be able to
collaborate and to talk about the biosciences and everything that they can
offer.
GF – Well, Fernando Castro Chavez, a researcher
in molecular biology developing his work there in
fdocc – God First. Thank you very much, and
thanks to the audience.
Esmeralda – Thanks Fernando, now we are going
to hear a musical …
Tasters of the Word (YouTube), videos recientes: "Astronomía y Nacimiento de Jesucristo: Once de Septiembre Año Tres A.C.", "Estudio sobre Sanidades" (en 20 episodios), "Jesus Christ, Son or God?":
Tasters of the Word (the blog, with: "Astronomy and the Birth of Jesus Christ"):