The Holderfields Blog

Yoinks: FDA reconsiders Avastin approval for late stage breast cancer patients

2010-08-17T18:50:00.001-07:00

About a month ago, Genentech/Roche announced the latest results for their darling cancer drug, Avastin. Preliminary results had indicated that the drug produces about a 4-5 month survival benefit for late stage breast cancer patients. I know what you're thinking, and I agree. That's not very long. But, most cancer patients (and researchers) will take what they can get. And, in oncology, when the

Ode to my wife... plus a slight roast

2010-06-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

It is my wife's birthday today. She is a magnificent 36 years young but can still act like a 12 year old when the mood suits her. She keeps me young. I'm proud of my wife. She finished her education at 31. Not many have the gumption to stick through over a decade of education after 2 community colleges, countless withdrawals and a smattering of failed classes no less, and still she ended up at

First blood

2010-03-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

I've put a lot of sweat and tears into repairs with my motorcycle over the years but today was the first time I had to donate some blood to get the job done. I hope the hard work pays off and the rain stays away when the work is done and I can enjoy some good riding this summer.

Cafe Biere

2010-01-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

I've been super busy lately working on a paper that will (hopefully) be submitted in the next week or so. Keep yer fingers crossed. As soon as it's published I may post an update on some of the work we did. It makes a good general interest story. But, for now, it's super top secret data, so my lips are sealed. So, in the mean time when I'm not working in the lab, I seem to find myself at or

Working with oncogenic lentivirus

2009-10-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Of my few readers, I think there are only a couple scientists who occasionally visit this blog. So, I try not to talk science too much here. But, every once in a while I find something interesting that may have a broader appeal (and isn't too technical or super top secret). I frequently read In the Pipeline, a blog by Derek Lowe. It's a good chemistry/pharma industry blog that doesn't usually

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, Mr. Stewart

2009-10-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

I think my favorite thing about the Bush years was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart. Somehow, he seemed to articulate exactly what I and most of my friends were thinking and feeling, but we never actually heard from the press. He had an ability to name exactly what was wrong with the Bush administration and at the same time he held no punches for the Democrats and their inability (or

Words and phrases that make me cringe

2009-10-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

1) Off Line - This one is usually used in a meeting at work, "maybe we should discuss this off-line." When exactly did every meeting go "on-line" and why are certain undefined subjects reserved for "off-line" discussion? I understand if a discussion strays off topic or gets too detailed for a specific audience, but can't we just talk about it later? 2) Reorientate - I know, it's actually a word,

That smelt's a little fishy

2009-10-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

What was it Robert Frost said about that road making all the difference? Well, how the hell does he know? I just read Lance's post about Sir Hannity and the delta smelt. I'm somewhat hesitant to look like I may - in any way - be perceived as a Hannity apologist, but I have to throw in my .02. Life is full of choices. In my experience the most important choices involve some form of compromise.

Swine Flu and The Third Reich

2009-09-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Since most of the hits I get on this blog are from my pharmaceutical related posts, and because I was recently given some stellar blogging fodder material on the subject, I thought I'd address the topic again. But before I do, I should point out that I am in no way a spokes person for the company I work for or for pharmaceutical companies in general, or for scientists or anyone else. I'm just a

Frodo Good, Harry Potter Bad

2009-07-21T10:24:00.001-07:00

I used to listen religiously to the focus on the family broadcast... not because I agreed with them, but because I could recognize their massive influence on how many Christians in the US view the world and think about contemporary issues. I also used to write them on a somewhat regular basis... I know, what a dorky waste of time. It's true. But, I do think there is some educational and

Boxers by the Bay

2009-05-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Sara, Tomme and I made a trip to Baker beach a few weeks ago and we "met up" with a bunch of other SF Bay Area boxer owners for a romp in the sand and water. It was a blast for Tomme and a lot of fun for us too. Here are some pics of Tomme and his new friends:

Magnify

2009-05-11T14:38:00.001-07:00

Control Panel > Display > Appearance > Font Size > Extra Large Fonts > put magnifying glass back in your pocket so you don't look like this guy in public

You know they are good doughnuts when...

2009-04-26T09:06:00.001-07:00

Roger Ebert's thoughts on God

2009-04-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Just a quick link. Mr Ebert shares some interesting thoughts on theism and critical thinking:http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/04/how_i_believe_in_g.htmlI think most Americans (at least most of the Americans I know) fall into this category. Most people have the feeling that religion isn't much more than very old snake oil, but they just can't shake the desire to believe in some kind of deity

Thoughts from a first time homeowner: part 1

2009-04-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

It never occurred to me a man could become so enraged at something as seemingly innocuous as a sprinkler.

Science and the Gift Horse

2009-04-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

I learned a valuable lesson in the past month. I've been banging away at my postdoctoral project now for almost a year. About six months of that I've spent trouble shooting one very simple (and what should be routine) assay. I've wasted a lot of time doing so, but it had to be done. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going wrong. So, one-by-one I began replacing reagents and

Why I do not "tweet"

2009-04-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

I love this post.My favorite reason not to use twitter: "You don't see the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise engaged in anything analogous to tweeting, do you?" -James Hrynyshyn. 'nuff said? I think so.Seriously, why do we need yet another way to get news? If you feel like you have something to say, then start a blog. If it's interesting, then I'll probably find it and read it. If it's not... well...

Welcome home, Tomme

2009-04-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. Sara and I are now the proud owners of a 1 year old male boxer, Tomme.At first I thought I'd post a list of all the reasons we love him or why we wanted a dog, or why he's a great dog for us, but nobody wants to read that. So, here's a run-down of all the things we ignored when we decided to commit to dog ownership:Number of other dogs Tomme scared half to death: 3Number of times

What's the difference between a police man, towing company and a thief?

2009-04-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Our car was stolen almost two weeks ago on a Sunday night. Granted, we left the keys in the car and the back seat had a half case of wine sitting there, waiting for an unscrupulous individual to help themselves, but I was still surprised and more than a little angry to find the car missing in the morning. I had pretty much written it off as gone and we've since been shopping for a new vehicle. In

Not Happy With Apple

2009-03-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sara and I have not paid for cable TV for quite some time. In our eyes, it's just not worth it. But, I have to admit that Tivo has done some great things for network and cable TV. We purchased a Tivo box for my parents a few years ago and I have to say that it's a great system. If I were to have some sort of live TV, I'd definitely go the Tivo route. The problem is that Sara and I don't watch all

Target Audience

2009-02-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

I (we?) keep this blog for several reasons. The first of which is because I enjoy writing down some of my thoughts, but also to share pictures and stories of what Sara and I have been up to with our friends and family. I also really enjoy engaging in conversation with folks who stumble on the blog and have some thoughts about what I've been writing. So, I find it somewhat surprising when I

Spanish tortilla (hangover cure)

2009-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

Sleepy dog

2009-02-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

Tomme is being such a good boy.

Foster Boxer

2009-02-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

We're fostering a big boxer boy for a few weeks. We may keep him, but for now we're basically babysitting... and trying to house train him :(We're working with Northern California Boxer Rescue and they've been very helpful. "Greeko" as they've named him was slated to be euthanized on Monday morning, but I drove down to Milpitas and picked him up. Now, it's time for him to recoup from his

Healthy vending the Novartis way

2009-02-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

This is my building vending machine. I guess it's the Novartis version of healthy snacks (I couldn't get the adjacent icecream machine in the shot)... Hey, we're oncologists not cardioloists.