It's a problem that most people don't want to talk about. Incontinence
is the inability to hold urine in the bladder. It is an unpleasant condition
for the people afflicted. It can make everyday activities such as reaching
down to pick up a bag of groceries or laughing at a good joke embarrassing.
As our population ages, more people may be afflicted with the condition.
But this isn't just an old person's disease. In the U.S., 10 million
men, women and children are living with incontinence.
Some people live with the problem by wearing absorbent pads and diapers.
But there may be other solutions. Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't
have to live with this problem?
Cornelis Van Breemen is a pharmacologist. He thinks so. Together with other
scientists, Van Breemen is developing new drug therapies to deal with this
condition.
"It's a very important question," he says. "I do research in blood
vessels. What I do is very technical, but in general I'm interested in
taking biophysical measurements in the vessels."
In this case, he is interested in biophysical measurements of the bladder.
"I'm working with a drug that relaxes the human bladder, and if it's
applicable it will help cure incontinence," he says. Medicine may be able
to relax the bladder or tighten sphincter muscles to help cure incontinence.
This area is only one of many that Van Breemen studies in his research
on blood vessels. He collaborates with pathologists and molecular biologists
to probe other scientific questions related to vascular diseases. For example,
he's also working on hypertension.
As you may have guessed, Van Breemen isn't just creating new drugs.
In order to find a substance that works on various human conditions, pharmacologists
must have a background in many different areas, such as biology, chemistry
and medicine. "The thing that is most difficult about it is that it's
not a narrow discipline," says Van Breemen. "It incorporates basic science
and medicine and covers many, many different areas."
Lisa Mullany is a PhD student in pharmacology at the University of Minnesota.
She agrees. "It really is an interdisciplinary field," she says. "You have
cancer and a lot of different diseases you have to know about before you could
even begin to think about drug development."
Mullany began her undergraduate degree in science and then completed her
master's in immunology. Immunology is a related science. It deals with
the biological functions of the body.
"I was studying allergies and asthma," she says. "And as I got further
into that work, I became much more interested in the mechanisms of drug action
in the body."
This interest led to Mullany deciding to do her doctoral work in the field
of pharmacology. She's glad she made the change. "It's really exciting
to be in this field right now," she says. "It's such a hot topic these
days."
She explains that in addition to drug development, pharmacology also includes
the area of molecular biology and genetics. "There are so many opportunities
in this area," she says. "It's exciting."
Van Breemen agrees. "The area of genetic medicine has so many opportunities
and it's related to pharmacology," he says. "Many new discoveries are
going to be made in the area."
Mullany also explains that studying in this field is encouraging because
she's almost assured a job when she's finished her studies. "People
who graduate in pharmacology have a great advantage when they're looking
for careers," she says.
Although she still has three years left in her doctoral studies, companies
have already been knocking on her door. "You don't have to complete post-doctoral
work. You can go straight into the industry," says Mullany. "There's
more money in the industries and they are desperate for people."
She adds that the industry will continue to grow and will continue to recruit
people. "Human resources are recruiting in undergraduate programs and even
in high school trying to get people interested in careers in pharmacology,"
she says.
Mullany hopes to continue her work in studying the mechanisms of drug action.
These research efforts can lead to real discoveries and help many, many people
in very real ways.
Van Breemen says that this ability to help others is the most enjoyable
aspect of his job. "I'm not just studying the theoretical course of a
disease," he says. "I get a chance to really make some formidable changes."