First step in finding the cure for cancer?

2008-06-18 22:29:18

#1

Poseidon: Fudgepack DeQueef; +3,253|6960|Long Island, New York

Very feelgood article here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.j … anc118.xml

A cancer patient has made a full recovery after being injected with billions of his own immune cells in the first case of its kind, doctors have disclosed.

The 52-year-old, who was suffering from advanced skin cancer, was free from tumours within eight weeks of undergoing the procedure.

Doctor's use patient's own immune cells to beat cancer
The case could be a landmark in cancer treatment

After two years he is still free from the disease which had spread to his lymph nodes and one of his lungs.

Doctors took cells from the man's own defence system that were found to attack the cancer cells best, cloned them and injected back into his body, in a process known as "immunotherapy". After two years he is still free from the disease which had spread to his lymph nodes and one of his lungs.

2008-06-18 22:31:18

#2

CaptainSpaulding71: Member; +119|6779|CA, USA

super cool! it's stories like this that give us hope. nice find.

2008-06-18 22:44:37

#3

Smithereener: Member; +138|6738|California

Awesome. I remember in my freshman year of Bio, our textbook described a type of WBC that would destroy cancer cells and so I asked my teacher why people still get cancer if such cells exist - his answer was that there are simply not enough of them to completely destroy the rapid, uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. This is totally cool tbh.

Really, things like this make me wonder if I should try to go into medicine or something related (I decided against it after some thinking before).

2008-06-18 22:53:18

#4

ATG: Banned; +5,233|6951|Global Command

Many implications.

2008-06-18 23:05:44

#5

Reciprocity: Member; +721|7003|the dank(super) side of Oregon

that and this

cancer will be all but cured in our lifetime.

2008-06-18 23:06:20

#6

AussieReaper: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°); +5,761|6575|what

The best thing about this article is that they were using his own cells. The religious groups tend to be against the morals of cloning cells in this manner (cause they believe killing is wrong, even for cells lol), but they usually can't be against it if the donor is also the patient.

And it's proven to be effective which is great. But prevention is still better than a cure, find that next.

2008-06-18 23:15:23

#7

Spark: liquid fluoride thorium reactor; +874|7097|Canberra, AUS

Ve-e-e-ry interesting.

Next step? Repeat it.

After that? Understand it.

The paradox is only a conflict between reality and your feeling what reality ought to be.
^{~ Richard Feynman}

2008-06-18 23:29:34

#8

Obiwan: Go Cards !!; +196|7117|The Ville

Spark wrote:
Ve-e-e-ry interesting.

Next step? Repeat it.

After that? Understand it.

Then implement it.

Last edited by Obiwan (2008-06-18 23:29:50)

2008-06-19 01:15:14

#9

CaptainSpaulding71: Member; +119|6779|CA, USA

religious people have a problem with embryonic stem cell research since you have to destroy the embryo to make use of the stem cells. left on its own, the embry could develop into a person - hence, it is viewed as a life at that point. left on it's own, the cells used in this cancer study would not multiply and form a human - they may multiply and make more cells but it wouldn't develop into something that can talk, think, etc.

i'm not sure why people who advocate stem cell research cannot use other stem cells so they don't have to kill a potential life. i understand that there are many forms of these things. some are more viable than others. indeed the technology could be advanced to make non-embryonic stem cells even more viable solution - hence avoiding the right-to-life grief they would get.

so overall, i'm not sure that religious people are against stem cells - just not using embryonic stem cells.

i thought on here or on slashdot somewhere i read that some scientist was working on programming bacteria's DNA. this is treading a fine line - but not from a 'playing-god' standpoint. what happens if this programmer has some bugs in the bug? maybe instead of eating garbage and shitting out oil, it eats other things too - like people or animals? it could get dangerous really quickly. Read the Andromeda Strain. scary stuff.

2008-06-19 04:22:10

#10

BVC: Member; +325|7118

Thats a freakin sweet technique! +1 Karma to those scientists!

2008-06-19 05:39:31

#11

rh27: Not really a Brit; +51|7018|England

CaptainSpaulding71 wrote:
'm not sure why people who advocate stem cell research cannot use other stem cells so they don't have to kill a potential life. i understand that there are many forms of these things. some are more viable than others. indeed the technology could be advanced to make non-embryonic stem cells even more viable solution - hence avoiding the right-to-life grief they would get.

so overall, i'm not sure that religious people are against stem cells - just not using embryonic stem cells.

I think most of the problem stems from those against it not actually understanding what it is. They read about how it is "evil" and "playing god" but how many people who dismiss it actually understand the fundamentals of stem cell research?

As for embryonic stem cells.. they do have the potential to become a life, but only insofar as your individual sperm have the potential to become life. The chances of survival for the ones they do use are minute anyway so there really is no justifiable reason for being against them.

2008-06-19 06:09:18

#12

13rin: Member; +977|6901

ATG wrote:
Many implications.

Kinda makes me want to start buying cigars again.

I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something. - Rodney Booker, Job Fair attendee.

2008-06-19 06:11:12

#13

AussieReaper: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°); +5,761|6575|what

DBBrinson1 wrote:
ATG wrote:
Many implications.
Kinda makes me want to start buying cigars again.

You'll look really cool.

2008-06-19 06:19:05

#14

13rin: Member; +977|6901

TheAussieReaper wrote:
DBBrinson1 wrote:
ATG wrote:
Many implications.
Kinda makes me want to start buying cigars again.
You'll look really cool.

Glad you think so (even though I doubt your sincerity), however I don't buy them for that reason.

I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something. - Rodney Booker, Job Fair attendee.

2008-06-19 06:37:32

#15

CameronPoe: Member; +2,925|6977

Just what a dangerously overpopulated planet needs!

2008-06-19 06:54:54

#16

m3thod: All kiiiiiiiiinds of gainz; +2,197|7093|UK

DBBrinson1 wrote:
TheAussieReaper wrote:
DBBrinson1 wrote:

Kinda makes me want to start buying cigars again.
You'll look really cool.
Glad you think so (even though I doubt your sincerity), however I don't buy them for that reason.

children and passive smoking.

Blackbelts are just whitebelts who have never quit.

2008-06-19 07:13:10

#17

Vilham: Say wat!?; +580|7188|UK

CameronPoe wrote:
Just what a dangerously overpopulated planet needs!

As harsh as it is, totally agree 100%

2008-06-19 09:36:07

#18

CommieChipmunk: Member; +488|6992|Portland, OR, USA

Reciprocity wrote:
that and this

cancer will be all but cured in our lifetime.

There is no cure for "cancer." There's a treatment for breast cancer, for melanomas, for leukemia, for prostate cancer. There is no magic pill or radio wave that will cure you of every cancer. There are individual 'cures' because a colon cell is different than a esophageal cell, so colon cancer will be different than esophageal cancer.

CameronPoe wrote:
Just what a dangerously overpopulated planet needs!

Not only that, I don't even want to think about the hordes of people who will run back to cigarettes and other carcinogenic garbage

As great as a 'cure for cancer' would be, we can't be ignorant or lack foresight about the effects of our actions like we are with everything else

2008-06-19 09:45:17

#19

SEREVENT: MASSIVE G STAR; +605|6529|Birmingham, UK

Hmmm. If we beatcancer something worse will only take its place.

Still, nice to know that we can, in theory, cure cancer.

BF2S Forums First step in finding the cure for cancer?

Spark wrote:

CaptainSpaulding71 wrote:

ATG wrote:

DBBrinson1 wrote:

ATG wrote:

TheAussieReaper wrote:

DBBrinson1 wrote:

ATG wrote:

DBBrinson1 wrote:

TheAussieReaper wrote:

DBBrinson1 wrote:

CameronPoe wrote:

Reciprocity wrote:

CameronPoe wrote:

Board footer