Oncology community optimistic about scientist's discoveries.

Byline: Betsy Mason

Jan. 9--BERKELEY -- Mina Bissell has become a giant among cancer scientists by pioneering a whole new field of research that she hopes will pave the way for a fresh class of treatment for all cancers. Bissell's breast cancer research holds real hope for taming cancer by changing it from a death sentence to a manageable, chronic disease. "You are not going to eradicate cancer," said Bissell. "But you could keep it in check." Bissell's ideas have now gotten her worldwide attention and won millions in research grants, but they were not immediately embraced by the bulk of the cancer research community. "They thought I was nuts," said the Lawrence Berkeley Lab chemist. Most researchers had focused on tumor cells and the genes that caused them to veer off the path of normal cell growth. …