Members MsGuy Posted March 30, 2015 Members Posted March 30, 2015 This links to the 60 Minutes program that aired tonight. If you missed it, researchers at Duke University have developed a treatment for solid cancers utilizing a genetically modified polio virus that only infects cancer cells. Apparently the virus initially kills some of the cells it infects but mainly flags all infected cancer cells so that the regular immune recognises them as targets and attacks them. This is still all in stage one clinical trials so who knows how it will all turn out but some of the results obtained so far are nothing short of astounding, especially since stage one trials aren't intended to cure anybody, just to try out different doses of the meds to see how patients respond to different levels of medication. However this particular set of trials work out, this is the biggest conceptual breakthrough on cancer treatment in the past 50 years. lookin, AdamSmith, MsAnn and 1 other 4 Quote
Members lookin Posted March 30, 2015 Members Posted March 30, 2015 Totally amazing. Found myself wishing this had been around for Teddy Kennedy. MsAnn and AdamSmith 2 Quote
Members MsGuy Posted March 30, 2015 Author Members Posted March 30, 2015 I was wishing it had been around for my mother and my step-father. lookin 1 Quote
Members RA1 Posted March 30, 2015 Members Posted March 30, 2015 We all have similar wishes but we also need to let our "others" go, do we not? We all shall also go all too soon. Let's pray for one another or so is my hope and wish. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Members MsAnn Posted March 30, 2015 Members Posted March 30, 2015 Totally amazing. Found myself wishing this had been around for Teddy Kennedy. "When does the greed stop, we ask the other side" Thanks Lookin for the reminder... lookin 1 Quote
Guest callipygian Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 This treatment - makes the patient worse, initially, then, follow-up MRI's show where the polio virus actually begins to destroy (eat away) the cancer cell. It's remarkable to say the least - that such a horrific virus which once rendered so many to wheel chairs - and then death - could now be a cure for this. It reinforces, an often times hard to believe commentary - that good can come from bad. Quote
Members RA1 Posted March 31, 2015 Members Posted March 31, 2015 Actually it is the body's immune system that is doing the "work". The polio virus "alerts" the body that it has been "invaded" and then proceeds to attack and destroy the invader as well as the targeted mass. If the polio virus was not genetically modified the body would have more than one problem to deal with. Good and bad are relative terms and often have little to do with perceived reality. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest callipygian Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Actually it is the body's immune system that is doing the "work". The polio virus "alerts" the body that it has been "invaded" and then proceeds to attack and destroy the invader as well as the targeted mass. If the polio virus was not genetically modified the body would have more than one problem to deal with. Good and bad are relative terms and often have little to do with perceived reality. Best regards, RA1 Yes, you're absolutely correct, RA1. If not for one's immune system, this would never be happening. Of course, without one's immune system - it would never be necessary. Quote
