My calling
Three weeks ago I started as a PhD student at Cambridge University researching the causes of Alzheimer's disease (and other related neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Huntingdon's, vCJD). I LOVE it and am the happiest I have ever been. The best bit? One day I may make a real, solid difference in someone's life. One day someone may be told they have early onset Alzhiemer's and instead of it being a long slow death sentence, even worse for those who love them who have to slowly watch them fade away, they may instead be told "Here's some tablets, take one a day for the next week and you'll be fine". I could be a tiny, tiny part of that possibilty.

Things to do before you die? Use what you're best at to make the biggest difference you can to whoever you can, no matter how small or unimportant it may seem. Then your life will have been worthwhile.
(Petite chien is going to do science to it, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 21:23, 7 replies)

good for you I say
I just saw this: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11569602
(augsav forgot about B3ta, Tue 19 Oct 2010, 5:33, closed)

For the love of God, hurry up!
Close relative has this godawful disease and is only in his early sixties. Aricept isn't good enough. No student parties for you - nose to the grindstone; we're all counting on you! No pressure.
(Happybara The jungle came alive and took him, Tue 19 Oct 2010, 9:29, closed)

So
reading b3ta at lunch isn't allowed then?
(Petite chien is going to do science to it, Tue 19 Oct 2010, 12:27, closed)

Only if your subconscious
is still working feverishly on the topic in hand. That goes for during sex, too.
(Happybara The jungle came alive and took him, Tue 19 Oct 2010, 12:47, closed)

Good answer.
Click
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Tue 19 Oct 2010, 12:09, closed)

This - with knobs on!
I did the PhD thing but was never really cut out for research.

However, from there I got into patents so I'm now a patent agent. Basically I now help inventors, or more commonly their employers, get patents for their inventions. Being a chemist, most of my clients are small start-up pharmaceutical companies.

Last year a patent I wrote for a small Scandinavian client was granted and as a result they now market a spray which helps relieve the mouth ulcers that affect people undergoing chemotherapy. These can be so bad that they need to be fed through a tube.

It's not exactly a blockbuster drug, and my part in it is only a minor one, but I can honestly say that there are people going through the toughest time of their lives who are now a little more comfortable than they would have been without my involvement. Not everybody can change the world, but if we can all do a little bit to make the worst parts of peoples lives a little better then we can say we have made a contribution.

Next on the agenda - a product that helps people overcome opioid (e.g. heroin) addiction. It won't cure them - only they can do that - but it will hopefully help some and I may be able to contribute to it reaching the market.

Things to do before you die? Make a contribution. However small.

*click*
( Ugi , it's a game of give and cake, Tue 19 Oct 2010, 17:54, closed)

Definitely
You are so right, anything that helps people suffering from something that bad has got to be a good thing and it's great that you can say you've been a part of it. It's really interesting to see what people go into after their PhDs as well!

A click for you too, sir.
(Petite chien is going to do science to it, Tue 19 Oct 2010, 21:04, closed)