The holy grail of cancer treatments

[cgallery]

If they can pull it off:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090629/...er_australia_4

I say "if" because it seems like I see a similar story every 1-2 years.

They are starting human trials, though, which is promising.

[Bob Crosley]

That's great!

Another one I liked that I saw recently involved cloning cells. Apparently, every cancer patients body creates antibodies for tumors, and some white blood cells attack them, but they're not enough to do anything. In a few cases, they cloned massive amounts of those cells, and injected them back into the host. And the new white cells killed the cancer cells.

This is exactly why cancer patients need to fight. Every day the live longer, is another day something like this comes along.

[crokett]

It does sound like a good idea, if they can make it work. It did occur to me to wonder what happens to the cancer cells that grow or are resistant to this treatment?

[MilDoc]

Hope it pans out. OTOH, I cringe when I read about "nano" anything. We have no idea how nano particles work, yet. And I hope we don't find out to our detriment.

[DaveS]

Three words: "I Am Legend"

It's one of those movies that I wish I hadn't seen, and can't forget.

[Kristofor]

Look at some of the gene therapies... Sure, you corrected the underlying problem, but now the patient is dying from some terrible side effect or induced cancer...

All that said... Those are ultimately just really difficult engineering problems. It may be beyond our skills now or for years to come but when we can work at that size (both on the DNA/RNA and physical level) we take another giant leap forward in medical science.

[cgallery]

Three words: "I Am Legend"

It's one of those movies that I wish I hadn't seen, and can't forget.

Well, you might be a zombie, but you'd be alive.

[radhak]

Three words: "I Am Legend"

It's one of those movies that I wish I hadn't seen, and can't forget.

I loved that movie, and like you, cannot forget it!

If you have not, you should read the book, seminal in its own way. Or at least the 'graphic novel' that follows the book extremely faithfully. I hunted both down after watching the movie (the Will Smith version). And I can tell you this - it is far more scarier than the movie, particularly when the premise gets clearer right at the end.
some details here... or praise from Stephen King here

But you are right; this particular (version) movie does start off with '...cure for cancer...'

[crokett]

So should I rent I Am Legend? I almost did a few weeks ago but found something else I wanted to see even more.

[chopnhack]

Hope it pans out. OTOH, I cringe when I read about "nano" anything. We have no idea how nano particles work, yet. And I hope we don't find out to our detriment.

Actually and unfortunately there is research that shows just how harmful nano particles as pollutants can be. I dont think they have anything conclusive, but I think that if things like soot sized particles which have been proven to be terrible to peoples lungs are any indicator, nano pollution will be a big problem. We will need nano bots to help clean things up!

[radhak]

So should I rent I Am Legend? I almost did a few weeks ago but found something else I wanted to see even more.

In the perspective of this thread, you definitely should : that movie starts out with a 'cure for cancer' and wipes out humanity in a couple of years !

But enthralling movie. Check it out.

[parnelli]

In the perspective of this thread, you definitely should : that movie starts out with a 'cure for cancer' and wipes out humanity in a couple of years !

But enthralling movie. Check it out.

There's an original ending to the movie that got switched after test audiences. It might be on the DVD- don't know.

I saw it on google video a couple(?) years back. Liked it much better- don't want to mention the differences here since not everyone has seen the movie....