Every patient is different and needs a therapy that is tailored to them. Precision medicine, to which MedUni Vienna now dedicates its own institute, follows this idea. It is named after the pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel, 93. In the “Krone” interview, the Vienna resident talks about the new opportunities for recovery and the secret of his fitness in old age.
“crown”: Mr. Kandel, you are 93 years old and you still look so fit. How do you do it?
Eric Candel: My life has not changed in all these decades. I think that’s my secret. It’s always kind of stayed the same: no excitement, lots of constants. I still eat just as healthy as before, namely little meat, lots of vegetables and fresh fruit. And I move a lot. I especially like walking and playing football.
Ball?
yes basketball I am a basketball player. I usually meet up with good friends once a week and we play basketball together. I’m having a lot of fun!
They look incredibly happy…
I am too! Life is beautiful, I am grateful for everything. I have a positive outlook on life and see the beauty in everything. When my family was expelled by the Nazis and my classmates mocked me, we all held our heads up and tried our luck elsewhere, in America. If we had stayed, I don’t know if we would have survived.
You have found a new home in America.
I had fantastic opportunities there and was able to build a great career. So I see the expansion as positive. Don’t get me wrong, what happened was horrible, but my family made the best of it. And that is good. That’s how I met my wife, she is my fountain of youth. We have now been happily married for 66 years. There was no room for affairs or similar stupidities. Our souls are on one level. We trust each other. We do important things together. I love being in the same bed with her.
Denise Kandel, Eric Kandel’s wife, speaks up and says: “I’m happy with my choice, but Corona wasn’t easy for us as a couple. We were largely isolated and alone in our apartment for two and a half years. it’s a good thing she’s so big!” (both laugh).
Mr. Kandel, MedUni Vienna now names a major medical institute after you, the Center for Precision Medicine. How does that feel?
Fantastic. I’m proud of it. You will see: precision medicine is a revolution. In the coming decades, researchers will see incredible advancements in the field. We are on the verge of breakthroughs, especially in cancer therapy, but also in other disciplines such as the cure of autoimmune, metabolic or genetic diseases.
Precision medicine enables highly individualized therapies. For example, if two people have the same cancer, they will be treated differently – depending on their age, gender, genetic predisposition, lifestyle, etc. How far has research progressed?
Far enough to report success, especially in cancer research. For example, it is possible to predict which therapy will positively influence or prolong the life of which cancer patient. But we still have to be patient and investigate further. In a few decades we will be on a completely different level.
You are in Vienna until Tuesday. Do you enjoy being here, thinking about your past?
For me, the present counts. And she’s beautiful. We don’t come to Austria very often, but I like being here and I have friends in Vienna. We always sleep in the same hotel, the Sans Souci, they have a swimming pool there.
Oh, do you swim too?
Yes, I would like that. Basketball and the pool keep me fit. I enjoy this immensely!
Source: Krone
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