Taming Cancer: 21st Century Biology and the Future of Cancer Medicine

WINNER OF THE 2025 AMERICAN LEGACY BOOK AWARD IN HEALTH: CANCER

2024 BEST INDIE BOOK AWARD WINNER IN MEDICINE

Achieving the long-sought cure for cancer seems like a task of mythical proportions, but in Taming Cancer, Dr. Drew N. Kelner, Ph.D., a Duke-trained biochemist and immunologist with 37 years of experience developing innovative cancer therapies, enthusiastically illuminates in layperson's terms the discoveries in biology and medicine during the past two centuries that have enabled the astonishing new immunotherapies and other precision-targeted medicines-"living drugs" comprised of antibodies, engineered viruses, and genetically modified immune cells-that are improving patient outcomes by stimulating the power of human immunity to seek out and destroy cancer cells.

Dr. Kelner's book presents a vision of a future (perhaps by mid-century) when a diagnosis of metastatic cancer is no longer by default a harbinger of impending suffering and death, a time when cancer can be managed as a chronic disease like diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. For the most responsive patients, the eradication of cancer cells from the body-the long-sought cure for metastatic cancer-will become a more commonplace event for larger numbers of cancer sufferers.

Expertly written in accessible language for readers interested in developing a conceptual understanding of cancer and what can be done to confront it, the book also provides extensive scientific commentary in the endnotes for biology students, medical and graduate students, physicians, scientists, nurses, allied health care professionals, and anyone else interested in learning more about the mysterious realm of the human cancer cell.

Taming Cancer is a fascinating and highly encouraging look at the science behind this insidious disease and an insightful read for anyone who has been touched by "The Emperor of All Maladies."
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GLOWING EDITORIAL REVIEWS FOR "TAMING CANCER"!

KIRKUS REVIEWS SAYS "GET IT!" "A marvelous book that's packed with knowledge, insight, and hope... a remarkably lucid discussion of the startling advancements in cancer therapy like precision oncology that can characterize in exquisite detail the molecular characteristics of each patient's cancer... he achieves his goal not only to provide a rigorous synopsis of the most recent research, but also to convey his enthusiasm and wonder for biology and medicine."

Reedsy Discovery rates Taming Cancer a "Must Read" "Kelner's work is both a tribute to the combined public and private attempt to alleviate the human tragedy of cancer. Kelner's writing shines in its ability to distill complex scientific concepts into accessible language... The book offers insightful analysis, interesting history, and hope, making it a valuable addition to the stores of science communication. Kelner's book also deserves a solid recommendation for its educational value. It will be an edifying read for many, helping disentangle the complexity of the project of turning cancer from a deadly disease into a manageable one."

"A" rating from Booklife Reviews by Publisher's Weekly: "Biochemist and immunologist Kelner offers welcome hope in this study of the history of science's understanding of cancer...Kelner demonstrates a keen facility for the clarifying metaphor... This book bursts with good news."

For the past 35 years, I've been a biochemist and immunologist engaged in the development of biopharmaceutical drugs-proteins (such as antibodies), engineered immune cells, and even engineered viruses (it's in Chapter 14)-that target human diseases at the molecular level. During my career, I've had the great privilege of participating in the development of innovative medicines for cancer, hemophilia, anemia, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis that have been used by millions of people around the world. I was born and raised on Long Island and left home to pursue a B.S. in chemistry from Haverford College and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Duke University. I am currently the President of Shenandoah Biotechnology Consulting, LLC, in Charlottesville, VA, where I reside with my beloved wife Deb. This book is the product of a long and exhilarating career in the scientific trenches of the biopharmaceutical industry and a seemingly natural consequence of my lifelong preoccupation: biology and medicine. I wrote Taming Cancer to pay forward the privilege I had of working at the leading edge of cancer drug development and to send a message of hope to cancer patients and their families throughout the world.

Questions and/or comments are welcome at tamingcancerbook@gmail.com If you don't mind leaving an honest review, I would be grateful for the feedback!.