Cinema and its particular language have an almost magical power to move and teach the viewer. The latter is especially significant in the case of science. And the big screen can help represent complex concepts and spark reflections on the positive impact that scientific knowledge can have on our lives.
This is the case of Much More Than a Word, a short fiction film produced by the biotechnology company Amgen that demonstrates how genetics and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are advancing medicine at an unprecedented pace.
Much more than a word, it is also a tribute to the scientists who dedicate their lives to researching diseases and discovering new ways to prolong and improve the lives of patients. “Scientific research is the essence of our activity, as is the dissemination of that knowledge,” explains Miquel Balcells, medical director of Amgen Iberia. A disclosure that now comes in short film format.
A mother (Fátima Baeza), who works researching new treatments, and her son (Juan Acedo), a fun and thoughtful teenager, spend the afternoon playing a game of Scrabble®. In a complicit tone, the game progresses while they string together words with a special meaning for each of them. This is the story whose script and direction is signed by Miguel Ángel Cárcano and which can now be seen on the Amgen Spain YouTube channel. In addition, it will be on the big screen from December 1 to 7 in 20 theaters in Madrid and Barcelona, before the broadcast of films such as Napoleon, The Assassins of the Moon and Sound of Freedom, among others.
“Through the magic that cinema gives, we have explored the fascinating intersection between the mother-child family relationship and scientific progress. I hope that this short film will inspire viewers to discover and appreciate the crucial role that researchers are playing in the future of our health,” underlines Miguel Ángel Cárcano.
Scientific knowledge has a direct impact on the lives of the population and, thanks to the work of researchers, progress is being made in increasingly more precise treatments to achieve fuller and longer lives. In this sense, Amgen takes advantage of the enormous potential of molecular biology and advanced human genetics to study billions of biological compounds, placing the company at the forefront of the most cutting-edge therapies.
The goal is to discover treatments that change the course of serious diseases and respond to unmet treatment needs in areas such as oncology, hematology, cardiology, nephrology, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases and bone metabolism diseases.
Much more than a word captures the passion of those who work for the achievements and challenges of genetic research, for which the emergence of artificial intelligence is key.
The future of medicine is inseparable from the ever-growing knowledge of our genome and the role that each gene and each mutation play in our body. In this sense, Amgen directs its research efforts towards development programs for new therapies based on genetic advances and validated in humans.
In fact, with the aim of better understanding diseases and developing more precise and safer treatments, the company acquired deCode Genetics in 2012, a company specialized in disease genetics. Thanks to deCode and collaborations with other entities, Amgen has more than 2.5 million genotypes and 350,000 complete genome sequences, being able to generate more than 15,000 new complete genomes every month.
To manage all this volume of information, the emergence of artificial intelligence has meant a paradigm shift as it increases the possibility of optimizing research, medical care and the sustainability of the system for the benefit of the patient, who will receive better care and have access to increasingly personalized treatments.
