Slashdot Log In
The Cure for Cancer Might be: HIV
Posted by
Hemos
on Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:25 PM
from the probably-not dept.
from the probably-not dept.
RGautier writes "Wired News has published that Scientists have successfully modified the AIDS-causing HIV in such a way that it can attack metasticized melanoma (cancer cells). The impact of genetic research on cancer research is in and of itself amazing. To mix this with the strategy of using one strong enemy against another is brilliance! Research will continue, obviously, but they are already reporting success on living creatures." Just think: between HIV and carrots we'll be all set.
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.
I have good news and bad news... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Good News vs. Bad News Joke (Score:5, Funny)
A guy goes to the doctor about a problem he's having. After a thorough examination, the doctor says to the patient, "I have good news and I have bad news."
"Well doc, let me hear the good news first.", says the patient.
To which the doctor responds, "Well, the good news is, we're going to name a disease after you!"
Parent
A scientific explanation (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Might want to downplay the HIV thing (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Might want to downplay the HIV thing (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Might want to downplay the HIV thing (Score:5, Insightful)
Best to be as open as possible right from the start to avoid any misconceptions. (Or media backlash.)
Parent
If I had to choose between HIV and carrots... (Score:5, Funny)
HIV vs Cancer (Score:5, Funny)
I can hear the doc now... (Score:5, Funny)
Cheap Prescription Drugs (Score:5, Funny)
HIV and Carrots (Score:5, Funny)
Nothing new really (Score:5, Informative)
When pseudotyped with the right envelope, these virus can infect efficiently any type of cell. They can also transduce non-dividing cells, which is usefull. They lack almost every gene of HIV; they retain certain structures which allow packaging of the genome in the virus and the viral promoter, but that's about it. Viruses are packaged in special cell lines containing the viral components on plasmids most of the time, and preparations are tested for recombinants. Its the best technology out there, but its nothing new, really.
Brilliance? (Score:5, Informative)
chemotherapy - is just poison. it works because the cancer cells absorb the poison much quicker than normal cells.
radiation therapy - again, radiation by itself is bad.
most over the counter acne treatments - are just some form or acid that kills the bacteria on the skin
As for reengineering a virus to take on something else, while facinating, its hardly a new idea. If you are interested in this sort of thing and haven't read Orson Scott Card's Xenocide [amazon.com] (part of the Ender Series), you might check it out.
Mis-titled article (Score:5, Informative)
The researchers programmed the altered virus package to attack a protein on the cancer cell surface called p-glycoprotein, which causes problems in cancer patients by shuttling cancer drugs away from the cell. In other words, p-glycoprotein causes resistance to cancer medication. Scientists could customize the system to target any protein on the surface of a cell, Chen said. He and his colleagues have seen success with about a dozen different molecules, including brain and other blood cells, he said.
Except for the last sentence, it makes it seem as though this is only a way to pave the way for more conventional treatments. The last sentence doesn't make sense to me, given the context. I can understand how the proteins on the surface of a cell could qualify as "molecules", but then the structure of the sentence makes it seem like they're calling brain and blood cells molecules:
He and his colleagues have seen success with about a dozen different molecules, including brain and other blood cells, he said.
I'm still waiting for a virus that attacks the actual cancer cells. I remember hearing something about it a while back, but then it seemed to die off. Anyone been following it?
Melanoma is cancer. It is NOT ALL cancer (Score:5, Informative)
Melanoma is a subset of the set of all cancers - specifically, it is a form of skin cancer - more specifically, it is a cancer formed from the skin cells that give skin its pigmentation.
Melanoma is NOT *all cancers* - thus even if this modified virus will kill 100% of all melanomas and have 0% harmful side-effects this does NOT make it a "cure for cancer" - merely a "cure for a type of cancer".
The will need to generalize this virus to attack ALL cancerous cells, and NOT to attack any other cells.
Now, if you can work out how a virus can tell the difference between a cancerous cell and a normal but rapidly reproducing cell, you have a Nobel prize awaiting.
Re:battlefield (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:battlefield (Score:5, Funny)
I ask myself that same question everytime I eat out... the answer is yes... yes I do... taco-hell is just too good to pass up, and the other germs I picked up from KFC and the chinese food place down the street will battle it out...
Parent
Re:battlefield (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes. You better believe it.
After seeing my mother die from cancer I would give anything to make sure no one else would ever have to go through what me and my sister did.
In short, hell yeah. Bring it on.
Parent
Re:It will never see the light of market shelves . (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:It will never see the light of market shelves . (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
The Simpsons were ahead of their time -- (Score:5, Funny)
Episode 238: The Mansion Family [tvtome.com]
Parent
Re:Would this spread? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent