Wrestler turns academic to help fight cancer
The doctor hopes to discover ways to detect the disease through his work with proteins.
BY JOY BUCHANAN
247-4744
NORFOLK — Nearly 30 years ago, when O. John Semmes’ grandfather died of
prostate cancer, his family discussed the illness in mysterious words and hushed
tones. That made Semmes want to know exactly how cancer worked.
Semmes, 48, was appointed director of the recently dedicated George L.
Wright Center for Biomedical Proteomics at Eastern Virginia Medical School in
Norfolk, where researchers work to find ways to detect cancer as early as
possible.
A former wrestler who didn’t always do his homework and did poorly in some
classes, Semmes ended up earning a master’s degree in marine biology and a
doctorate in biochemistry. He trained at Johns Hopkins University and the
National Institutes of Health.
Q: What do you do in your new position?
A: I have a couple of programs. One of the programs deals with how disease
comes about. The other is looking for biomarkers for cancers. We look at
proteins and genes to see if any of them serve as marker events so that if they
change somehow or if you see a certain protein and then you don’t see it, you
can say “Ah, you’re going to have cancer, “or “You have cancer.”
Q: How do you explain to your mother what you do?
A: Since everything in the body was at one time controlled by proteins, we
look for the proteins that are either going to help us learn how a disease
developed or tell us what’s going on with the disease.
Q: Do you prefer the administrative part of your job or the technical part?
A: I much prefer sitting in the lab because I am a techno-geeky kind of guy.
Q: You’re a techno geek, but a moment ago you said you couldn’t work your
e-mail account.
A: It’s true. I’m not fond of the computer. The geek in me is pharmy-geek –
I like the way proteins are shaped. They’re dynamic. They vibrate. Some
vibrate slower than others and that’s how the shapes are formed. I like the
physical and chemical effects of proteins’ shapes.
Q: What did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I wanted to be a diver for Jacques Cousteau.
Q: How did you get interested in the water?
A: I watched “Sea Hunt. “I was an early reader, and I read encyclopedias
about animals, and I knew the name of every animal. I got into marine animals
very quickly. I liked swimming and diving and those sorts of things. I got a
master’s degree in marine biology.
Q: Did you ever do poorly in school?
A: I did quite well on tests, but not so good on homework, mostly because I
didn’t do the homework. In college, I did horrible in things like English and
history because in my small mind at the time, I couldn’t see how they would
ever relate to the things I wanted to do.
Q: Did you play any sports?
A: I went to Auburn University on a wrestling scholarship. I’m 6-3. I was a
tall, skinny kid.
Q: How did you become a wrestler?
A: I was walking down the street one day, and this kid picked a fight with
me. I just wrestled with him. We didn’t throw any punches. When we finished,
he said, “Hey, you’re a pretty good wrestler. Why don’t you join the wrestling
team?’ ” He was on the wrestling team at Cox High School in Virginia Beach.
So I said, OK, and I did. I really enjoyed it.
Q: What did you learn from wrestling that you apply to life?
A: Never give up. It doesn’t matter how much it hurts, never give up.
Q: Do you like any other sports?
A: I like body boarding. In southern California, the water can be rough. In
Hawaii, the waves don’t hurt quite as much. In Florida, the water is so
gentle you can’t even tell how deep it is.
Q: Was your family religious?
A: My family was Catholic, incredibly Catholic. As the oldest child, I did
the agnostic search, but I’m raising my family Catholic. We go to St.
Vincent’s in Newport News. I like the people there.
Q: Given your religious background and your very scientific occupation, do
you believe the reports that prayer heals people’s illnesses?
A: I actually believe anything is possible. But as a scientist, if someone
asks if prayer is healing, the science part of you has to say no, but the
spiritual part of you answers yes because you don’t answer some questions with
the science mind.
Q: What does the first initial stand for in your name?
A: Oliver. I didn’t want to name my son Oliver because I’m the sixth Oliver
John Semmes in a row. My son is Orion and my daughter is Maia. They’re named
for the constellations.
You can see I like Greek mythology, too.
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