Shyamala Gopalan

Many of us may not be knowing that in 1967, Shyamala G and her team discovered the Estrogen Receptor.

40 years later this one seminal thing turned out to be the fundamental change in modern breast cancer treatment.
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What did Shyamala G discover ?

We all know the magic touch of Estrogens and Progesterones – the female hormones that convert half them kids into beautiful women. Why ?

Shyamala’s mice experiments discovered that the breast, ovary and uterus of kids ( with XX chromosomes ) contain a special receptor that binds to the circulating hormones circulating and give them the female contour. The Y chromosomes lack them.

Gopalan continued to work in breast cancer research, publishing numerous scientific discoveries before being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008 and passing away in February 2009.”
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These receptors help us choosing the right drug for the cancer.

Prior to this, we always thought that breast cancer is one single disease. Not anymore. Today once a tumor in breast is biopsied, the first thing doctors want to know the type: ER ( estrogen receptor) positive or PR positive. ( the receptors that Shyamala Gopalan discovered in 1967) This hormonal classification has made breast cancer one of the best treated cancers today.

Of all the cancers that affect us, Breast cancer has the best treatment options thanks to those early mice experiments of Shyamala G.
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But then why did I remember something that I had known since my student career ?

Because this obscure Indian immigrant has suddenly become the mother of one of the most celebrated American Indian Diaspora today.

She is the mother of Kamala Harris – the vice presidential candidate of US.

Sometimes seminal scientific achievements need the support of a public figure to come to limelight.

Sad but true.

( Simplified for non medical colleagues)