Potential cure for Leukemia?

[GoldenRivet]

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and...ill-each-other

Scientists have been working on a method to rapidly mature bone marrow cells in order to treat patients with immune deficiencies by slightly modifying the growth biology of the marrow cells.

in an experiment, these growth modified marrow cells were injected into a blood sample from a leukemia patient. what the researchers observed was awe inspiring and unexpected.

the growth modified marrow cells not only sought out and attacked Leukemia cells specifically, but transformed the Leukemia cells into "Dendritic Cells" which further matured to act similarly to antibodies in the blood.

within 24 hours, 15% of the Leukemia cells in the sample had been eliminated completely

[Oberon]

Here's hoping. It'll take a while before it makes it into general usage, providing it doesn't hit any hitches on the way, but it's good news nonetheless.

[Eichhörnchen]

Makes my copper socks look a bit lame...

[Platapus]

Way too early to tell anything, but I am very glad we have smart guys working this.

[Torplexed]

Seems like every couple of months you hear of a promising treatment or imminent breakthrough with cancer or a type of cancer.

Then poof. It just disappears or the long term testing doesn't pan out. Hopefully this will be more than a flash in the pan.

[Jimbuna]

Here's hoping

[Highbury]

Originally Posted by Torplexed

Seems like every couple of months you hear of a promising treatment or imminent breakthrough with cancer or a type of cancer.

Then poof. It just disappears or the long term testing doesn't pan out. Hopefully this will be more than a flash in the pan.

I have some conspiracy theories about the pharmaceutical lobbyists killing off anything that sounds like a cure...

Hopefully this works out. I watched my dad go through chemo for a different cancer and it is not pretty.

[ExFishermanBob]

The reality is usually that a research group has some early findings (in-vitro or in-vivo) but needs to attract funding / pharmaceutical company. Performing real clinical trials then has to be performed, with all the usual checks and balances. The treatment is then often discovered to either not work, or not work as effectively as existing treatments, or to be worse than the disease. Or, in the case of Viagra (originally a heart drug) turns out to have a different effect or side-effect.

At other times it can be that a company doing research needs more money and makes a similar announcement.

There is a great deal of difference between a small, unregulated bit of research and full-blown clinical trials.

As always, when reading these announcements think "Who (is making the announcement), Why (are they making it), and Why now?". In fact, that tends to apply to almost anything you read.

Also, calamity is far more common and likely, than conspiracy.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by ExFishermanBob

Also, calamity is far more common and likely, than conspiracy.

As I said long ago in a thread about another claimed conspiracy, "I'll take screw-up over cover-up every time".

[Oberon]

I've always gone with Stephen Hawking when it comes to conspiracies, especially the alien ones:



I suspect that the reason that a lot of these discoveries go quiet is the lengthy period it takes to get from discovery to market. Bob has it spot on.

[CaptainRamius]

Originally Posted by Oberon

I've always gone with Stephen Hawking when it comes to conspiracies, especially the alien ones:



I suspect that the reason that a lot of these discoveries go quiet is the lengthy period it takes to get from discovery to market. Bob has it spot on.

Same

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and...ill-each-other

Scientists have been working on a method to rapidly mature bone marrow cells in order to treat patients with immune deficiencies by slightly modifying the growth biology of the marrow cells.

in an experiment, these growth modified marrow cells were injected into a blood sample from a leukemia patient. what the researchers observed was awe inspiring and unexpected.

the growth modified marrow cells not only sought out and attacked Leukemia cells specifically, but transformed the Leukemia cells into "Dendritic Cells" which further matured to act similarly to antibodies in the blood.

within 24 hours, 15% of the Leukemia cells in the sample had been eliminated completely

That's very encouraging!

[CaptainRamius]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

That's very encouraging!

Indeed. Maybe the incurable will be cured. If it works, this would be quite a year.

[vienna]

I not sure if the big pharmas aren't actually knocking off some drugs as a function of business. About 25 or so years ago, there was a news story about a possible cure, an outright cure, for AIDS. Some of my co-workers were discussing the news and said maybe the breakthrough would steer some dollars to the research; I expressed doubt, which got me a whole lot of flack as being insensitive, etc. Then I explained my opinion: pharma companies are run by mainly bean-counters who have their eye on the bottom line and meeting financial goals in order to receive their bonuses. So here's their choice - do the R&D and expend capital on an AIDS cure that they can sell to a relatively small portion of the total population, or, do the R&D and expend capital on an HIV vaccine they can sell to virtually the total population. The first choice will bring in maybe a sizable amount of sales, profits, and bonuses; the second choice will bring in incredible sales, profits and bonuses. If you were the CEO or CFO of a big pharma, which would be your best business decision and which would be most defensible to Board members and major shareholders? Sometime basic human compassion just doesn't show on P&L balance sheets...


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