The Importance of Henry H. Heng's Genome Architecture Theory

Abstract

A recent symposium on cancer and evolution has bought many innovative thinkers together to challenge the status quo of current cancer research. Professor Henry Heng's presentation considers cancer as a new system emerging via macro-evolution, where genome chaos-mediated information creation and maintenance plays an important role. This concept departs from the neo-Darwinian influenced somatic mutation theory of cancer. To appreciate his theory, it is helpful to briefly review several of his heterodox findings in the fields of oncology and evolutionary biology. This letter summarizes and highlights these findings and calls for a medical and scientific reckoning as well as integration within and between these fields.

Keywords: Architecture theory; Evolutionary mechanism of cancer; Genome; Genome mediated macroevolution; Genomic information; Karyotype coding; Phase transition.