Chasing after youth Lubec resident Sulzberger writes cautionary tale ‘Younger’ about genetic research

Dr. Judith Sulzberger has a simple message in her first novel: “Be careful what you wish for.”

In “Younger” (Apple Tree Productions, $24.95), Sulzberger, a Lubec summer resident, takes readers inside the world of genetics research. It’s a place that Sulzberger knows well, as she has been the “writer-in-residence” for the genome division of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

“Medical research is a very vibrant thing,” said Sulzberger, explaining the backdrop for her novel. “It’s important, and should be interesting to people.”

“Younger” focuses on the relationship between two researchers at the fictitious Bailey Medical Center in New York. Constance Gueyer, a virologist, has found the region of the brain that seems to control aging. Peter Tarker, a geneticist, has discovered that the length of the telomere, the end of the chromosome, causes aging. The pair become romantically involved, and also work together in hopes of finding a genetic “fountain of youth.”

Sulzberger said that the genetics information in the book is pretty factual, up to a point.

“I stuck to science fact in the beginning,” she said. “But the telomeres affecting all the cells in the body at the same time, that’s all science fiction.”

Connie, 10 years Peter’s senior, eventually makes a fateful decision in order, in her mind, to make herself more attractive to him. The latter half of the 257-page book examines the consequences of her decision.

While a researcher following Connie’s path and using him- or herself as a guinea pig is rare, it’s not unheard of, Sulzberger admitted.

“It happens a little bit,” she said. “But remember, she did it when she was drugged, and would never had done it if she hadn’t been in a state of depression.”

“Younger” has been receiving strong reviews within the science community. Francois Jacob, Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist, wrote, “I have always thought that fiction is the most efficient way to tell laypeople what is going on in science. I mean, of course, good fiction, and ‘Younger’ … is indeed very good fiction. When reading it, you really see her characters doing experiments, fighting with hypotheses, living their everyday lives, and having some affairs with each other. The scientific problem on which they worked, aging, is an important one, and the discussions relate to the present state of the problem.”

Writing was a natural path for Sulzberger, as she’s the granddaughter of New York Times patriarch Adolph Ochs. But the way she came to writing was a little different, as she left the

family business for medicine. After graduating from Smith College, she went on to get her medical degree from Columbia.

“I did well in science, and I liked science,” Sulzberger said. “There were enough people in the family involved in the newspaper business.”

Still, writing was her second passion. In the 1970s, she wrote a medical column for the East Hampton Star. She also wrote many articles for the Columbia’s Journal P&S.

This background came in handy when Sulzberger decided to write her first novel.

“I was very conscious of writing for the layman,” she said. “At first, I got bogged down in the science. I tried to make it as simple as I could without losing the meaning.”

“Younger” is definitely a cautionary tale. With gene therapy and stem-cell research already taking place, and cloning on the not-too-distant horizon, Sulzberger is more than a little leery about what science can accomplish.

“When you eliminate a disease that’s in the genes, you change it forever,” she said. “You don’t know what else is going to happen. You can’t predict the consequences. You might do other damage that’s worse.”

In her more than 50 years in medicine, Sulzberger has seen many advances, with genetics foremost among them.

“When I started, we knew Mendelian theory, but nobody knew anything about DNA,” she said. “Genetics is the biggest change, and it will continue to be. It applies to everything in life.”

Dale McGarrigle can be reached at 990-8028 or dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net.