D r. Neil Spector, an internationally acclaimed cancer researcher, wanted to change the world. While seeking a cure for cancer, however, he became seriously involved with a different illness, which ended up steering his life and work in a new direction.
It turns out that Spector had suffered for years from unrecognized Lyme disease. Eventually, Lyme carditis led to complete heart failure.
Although Spector’s decades-long battle with Lyme disease profoundly affected his life, it failed to hinder his spirit. In 2009, he received a life-saving heart transplant which allowed him to continue his groundbreaking research until he passed away on June 14, 2020. For this, we owe Spector and his heart donor both a huge debt of gratitude.
In the video below, Dr. Spector talks about his Lyme disease journey at a TEDx event on April 16, 2016.
Among his many talents, Spector led a Duke Cancer Institute team tasked with translating research discoveries into new therapies. He had a special interest in seeking to understand what role environmental factors, like toxins and infection, play in transforming healthy cells into cancers.
“Neil had a vision for the world – one devoid of the ravages of cancer and other chronic illnesses.”
Prior to joining Duke Cancer Institute, Spector served as Director of Exploratory Medical Sciences—Oncology, at GlaxoSmithKline. While there, he successfully developed two important cancer drugs—one for pediatric T-cell leukemia (nelarabine), the other a targeted therapy for HER2+ breast cancer (lapatinib). Spector guided both drugs through the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process.
More recently, Dr. Spector had turned his attention to finding innovative therapies for both Lyme disease and Bartonella……..Join or login below to continue reading.
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