The connection between dogs, humans and cancer may not be very clear until you talk to Seventh-day Adventist geneticist Nathan Sutter. Research that Sutter completed during his fellowship at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in Bethesda
The connection between dogs, humans and cancer may not be very clear until you talk to Seventh-day Adventist geneticist Nathan Sutter. Research that Sutter completed during his fellowship at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in Bethesda, Maryland led to the identification of a master regulator gene for body size in the domestic dog. Sutter’s work shows that by studying purebred dogs scientists can tackle difficult genetic challenges, such as finding genes that make dogs and humans susceptible to cancer. The NHGRI is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the medical research agency for the United States government.
Published in the April 6 issue of Science magazine, the study involved eight different institutions and 21 different authors with Sutter as the lead author and his mentor Elaine Ostrander as the senior author.
“My role was to conduct this research full-time and give it 100 percent effort for the past two and a half years since we moved here from Seattle [Washington],” he says.
Sutter sums up the research: “What we’ve done is show that one gene, the Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 gene (or IGF1), is a master regulator in determining body size in domestic dogs. All small breeds carry the same sequence variant of IGF1 because human beings selectively bred them generation after generation for smaller body size. Our hope is that [with this study] we will be able to improve canine health and human health in one fell swoop.”
Barry Taylor, former vice chancellor of research and current researcher at Adventist-owned medical school Loma Linda University, says this research is also significant because, “I think the growth factors they have identified may be important in determining the size of humans because there are genetic conditions where people are going to be so short that it will be a social and physical disadvantage to them. By understanding the genetic factors that influence height and size it may be possible for physicians to develop better strategies for helping people grow to a normal height.”
What led Sutter into the world of science? He recalls one formative experience while he was a student at La Sierra Adventist Academy in Southern California. He was on a Spring break science trip with other students when he realized that for the rest of his life he wanted “to explore God’s world.”
He vividly remembers snorkeling through the coves on Catalina Island with a dozen other science students and being awed by the beauty and diversity of the marine life.
“In that moment I had an epiphany,” Sutter recalls. “I thought ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life. This is incredible.’”
Since that day on Catalina Island Sutter’s love for the natural world has only deepened as his knowledge of science grew. Through that love of science and strong mentors at La Sierra University it was clear how Sutter ended up at NIH, one of the world’s foremost medical research centers.
Jim Wilson, acting chair for biology at La Sierra University, remembers that while Sutter was in his senior year at La Sierra, “Nate took the Graduate Record Exam and scored in the 99th percentile. He also got into one of the top five Cell Biology programs at the time at the University of Washington. That’s when he started working with Elaine Ostrander.”
Wilson continues, “Adventist education provides a good education. It doesn’t hold you back; if anything it gives you more experiences.”
“The biology faculty at La Sierra University provided me with really important tools to be both a Christian and someone who thinks about the natural world at the same time,” Sutter agrees.
Taylor, who has known Sutter since he was a child, says there is a strong need for more Nathan Sutters. “The church has major needs for people in this area [scientific research]. In order to run a medical school that has a strong research program you have to have highly trained scientists.”
When asked how he navigates a career in science and his faith, Sutter explains “They conflict with one another less than one might think. For me there are some absolutes: God exists, God is good and Jesus died for me on the cross ... What I get to do as a devout Christian who is a scientist is to explore God’s world.”
He adds, “The idea that God exists is not something that scientists can ever disprove.”
Sutter also expressed concern that some Christians may be afraid of science and may worry that scientific advances may cause them to lose their faith. “God is not a small-minded being ... He knows what is in the universe in every detail. He gave us a brain that is curious and able to inquire about the world. Let’s not hide our talents in the ground. Let’s try our hardest to explore our world and understand God and the world that He’s made,” Sutter says.
Sutter is also a passionate environmentalist and encourages everyone to care for the world we live in. “In the Bible we can read that God placed us as stewards in this world. I realize that sometimes we as Adventists will think of the natural world and the first thing we think about is the debate between evolution and creation. I think it is more important that we ask ourselves whether we are being good stewards of God’s earth. I would love to see us as a church become the most avid environmentalists possible ... to collectively really think about what this command to be good stewards means,” says Sutter.
With his fellowship at NIH nearing completion Sutter is currently interviewing for faculty positions. He plans to continue researching the genetic basis of disease susceptibility in the domestic dog, with the ultimate hope of applying that knowledge to improvements in human health.