Archways of the soul
A poem about the convergence of science and humanity.
A dimly lit room. A mother, Hand clenched around the hand of Her child. A heavy wooden door, Closed. It creaked and swung Open. In the crook of her arm A bag Filled with golden-brown fluid. The cells; The cells that would save Her life. Both sat staring, eyebrows Knit straight. Eyes turned towards the door, a Question: "Will they work?" Maybe. 40% chance danced in His head. They needed hope not facts. He nods. "I am confident. They will.” The eyebrows softened, Curved Archways above the windows of The soul. Through which light beamed Again. Her hand eased from a tight ball into a soft arch.
What does it mean to take cells from a person, modify them and put them back?
For many patients, it means life.
In the room described above, science and humanity converge in ways we're still struggling to understand.
This poem is based on a conversation I had when I asked a haematologist what it was like when a patient for which other therapies have failed receives the infusion of engineered CAR-T cells.
In the middle of the poem, the mother asks the treating physician if the cells will work. He contemplates giving the raw facts - a 40% chance they will. Then he sees the daughter and her mother and realises it is more important at that moment to maintain the precious hope that they have.
Engineered CAR-T cells have been an unbelievable success, bringing hope to patients in some cases when there would be no hope. With these types of therapies there is so much potential.
We need to look towards a future where there is no tension between the facts and keeping the flame of hope alive, but for many conditions that future is still far off.
As we develop new technology and new ways of treating disease, it becomes increasingly important that patients and society as a whole are involved as partners in the innovation process.
There is no better place for that to happen than in a big project that is striving to push the frontiers of medicine forward.
An example of such a project is T2EVOLVE. T2EVOLVE inspired this poem. In T2EVOLVE we are working to bring scientists, clinicians, patients, regulators and industry together to build the technology and the alignment we need to achieve the full potential of engineered cell therapy.
T2EVOLVE is one of the places where science and humanity converge. The thing is big projects like T2EVOLVE have a place for everyone.
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Creative, inspiring, beautiful work!