Anybody can be a hero

Following the campaign Anybody can be a hero, Discovery Channel made 10 short documentaries about the stories of some Romanians who can be considered "Discovery heroes", thanks to their passion, curiosity and adventurous spirit. The films were seen for the first time, at Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF), on June 6th, 2011. An international jury chose Laurenţiu Şerban as The Discovery Hero of 2011.

Photo from here

Laurenţiu Şerban (33) is a soldier by 13 years. During a mission in Afghanistan in 2006, a Romanian night patrol was attacked and he was badly injured, losing a leg and having 9 surgical interventions at a hand. The tragedy changed its vision on life, making him stronger. He married and he has a daughter, he fully lives his life - flying with a paragliding, climbing, running, go on a high speed motorcycle, and building itself everything from an engine to a gate.


Moreover, the hero wants to go back to Afghanistan, considering that "what does not kill you makes you stronger!" and this statement apply to everyone. This days, his dream become true and he returned in mission in Kandahar.

A promising discovery

Two Romanian scientists coordinated the teams that discovered a very promising element in cancer detecting. A team of researchers from the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (or INSERM; France), led by Dr. Nicolae Ghinea, in co-operation with a team from Mount-Sinai Medical School (New York), led by Dr. Aurelian Radu, announced the discovery of a unique biological marker for 11 different cancers, according to AFP. The marker is the FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone), found in the human reproductive organs.

Analyzing 1336 biopsies performed for patients suffering from 11 various cancers, researchers have found in all tumors, the presence of a receptor of this hormone. Were studied prostate, breast, colon, pancreas, bladder, kidney, lung, liver, stomach, testicles and ovaries cancers. Other cancers have not yet been studied. The receptors were found on endothelial cells covering the inside of blood vessels at the tumor periphery. These receptors were missing completely from the body's healthy tissues, including the healthy parts of the organs affected by the tumor. It's a long way to a universal therapy, say researchers. The next steps are the extended analysis of other types of cancer, to confirm the discovery of the receptor by other procedures, to undertake studies to improve clinical procedures and possible therapies. Research results are published in The New England Journal of Medicine.