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Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

med.stanford.edu

41–50 of 188 posts

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#41
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If some drug company doesn't pick this up it will fall by the wayside and never make it to market. This isn't mutually exclusive to the treatment being in the public domain.

Drug companies don't pick up treatments that are in the public domain. No patent, no pay.

There's plenty of drugs that are made by multiple companies. It might not make sense for a very specific drug which sees low use, but I think it's viable to produce a drug that might be beneficial to virtually anyone even if you don't have exclusivity.

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#42
post #26
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article is really nicely written. I'd be happy to answer any questions about it.

As a regular man in the street, how excited should I be about this? What's the chance of this developing into a regular treatment for most types of cancers, within, say, the next ten years?

Follow up-if big pharma does not pick it up, how much would it a start up need to take it to market?

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#43
post #38
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you link to some footage of a white blood cell taking apart a cancer cell?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va1jaBGwoT8

Yeah, this is an NK cell triggering an apoptotic (self-destruct) response in a cancer cell. So it's basically sending a kill-signal to the cancer cell, which then kills itself. This doesn't work for all cancers, though. In fact, one hallmark of cancer is unresponsiveness to apoptotic triggers.

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#44
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drug companies don't pick up treatments that are in the public domain. No patent, no pay.

There's plenty of drugs that are made by multiple companies. It might not make sense for a very specific drug which sees low use, but I think it's viable to produce a drug that might be beneficial to virtually anyone even if you don't have exclusivity.

Yes once a drug goes off patent and becomes generic then lots of drug companies will pick it up and start making it, but no new drugs are developed these days without patent protection.

Of course if you wanted to you could make this treatment yourself - it is not that complex.

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#45
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va1jaBGwoT8

Yeah, this is an NK cell triggering an apoptotic (self-destruct) response in a cancer cell. So it's basically sending a kill-signal to the cancer cell, which then kills itself. This doesn't work for all cancers, though. In fact, one hallmark of cancer is unresponsiveness to apoptotic triggers.

Ok, here's one with T-cells from Cambridge University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntk8XsxVDi0

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#47
post #11

This sounds groundbreaking. Could someone with a medical background explain what this might mean?

We have cured cancer in mice many times. The trick is getting it formulated for humans in ways that are similarly effective and non-lethal. Put another way, signs of efficacy in mice is necessary, but not sufficient, of a human-applicable treatment.

As far as I know we aren’t able to cure cancer in mice. Sure we can cure them of artificial cancers we give them in the lab, but actually curing spontaneous mouse cancer in outbred mouse populations (i.e. something like human cancer) is not something I have ever seen anyone try, let alone succeed.

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#48

A layman's question: is it implied to be a universal cure, or for a specific type?

Both. It's targeted by injecting into one tumour, but many different tumours can be targetted. Once targetted, this tumour is eliminated along with all "copies" in body. If you had breast cancer and colon cancer you would need two injections.

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#49
I'm happy when solutions for cancer are found. A little less when the way is genetic engineering. From my ignorance I imagine the genetics like a big complex self programming software and the genetic engineering a way to change little variables in a wide enviroment. In other words: Butterlfy effect, you're welcome.

Re: Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice

#50
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have cured cancer in mice many times. The trick is getting it formulated for humans in ways that are similarly effective and non-lethal. Put another way, signs of efficacy in mice is necessary, but not sufficient, of a human-applicable treatment.

As far as I know we aren’t able to cure cancer in mice. Sure we can cure them of artificial cancers we give them in the lab, but actually curing spontaneous mouse cancer in outbred mouse populations (i.e. something like human cancer) is not something I have ever seen anyone try, let alone succeed.

Wouldn't that just mean we don't know whether it works or not?
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