5 replies to this topic

[bobdrake12]

http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/2268735.stm




Thursday, 19 September, 2002, 23:00 GMT 00:00 UK

Immune cells 'beat cancer' (excerpts)




Patients with skin cancer were studied


Specially trained immune cells are being harnessed to shrink tumours in cancer patients.
US researchers used the cells to treat patients with skin cancer who had not responded to other therapies, and saw "promising" results.

They hope more research will allow the technique to be used to treat different types of cancer and infectious diseases such as Aids.

Scientists treated 13 patients with metastatic melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.

They were given immune cells created in the laboratory to destroy tumours in a process called adoptive transfer.

In six patients, tumours shrunk by at least 50%, and there was no growth or appearance of new tumours.

Four patients saw some cancer growths disappear.

[bobdrake12]

http://news.bbc.co.u...alth/873423.stm




Wednesday, 9 August, 2000, 18:46 GMT 19:46 UK

'Supercharged' immune system takes on cancer (excerpts)




Researchers have found ways of boosting immune response


Scientists claim they have found a way of beefing up the body's own immune system to attack cancer.
The team, from the National Cancer Institute near Washington DC, say they were able to effectively prime the "sentry cells" which alert the body to foreign attack.

They took these "dendritic" cells and added proteins from various types of cancer, or viruses, using a bird virus to transport the proteins into the dendritic cells.

The role of these cells is to initiate a massive immune system assault on those tumours or viruses when they appear in the body.

And the researchers found that their modified dendritic cells responded far more powerfully to the cells or viruses for which they had been primed.

Mice given the modified cells produced more than six times the number of "killer T" cells, which are immune cells produced to neutralise a target.

[bobdrake12]

http://news.bbc.co.u...alth/363944.stm



Tuesday, 8 June, 1999, 13:15 GMT 14:15 UK

Cancer sends immune system 'to sleep' (excerpts)




Cancer cells may be able to turn off key immune response


A vital part of the immune system is put to sleep by cancer cells, say researchers investigating how it spreads through the body.
The study carried out by Stanford University has found that the so-called "killer" T-cells, which are normally on the front line in the fight against disease, simply do not mount their normal defence when faced with a cancer cell.

Researcher Mark Davis said: "Normally T cells are very responsive, even small amounts of antigen get them going."

He concluded that the cancer cell itself was responsible for disabling the T cell attack, and are hoping to investigate exactly why.

[Lazarus Long]

Yes there is the double aspect of this cancer cells can also usurp the T-Cell and use it to consume the body as in Leukeimia and Hodgkins Desease. There has been some theory on this for a long time I am glad the studies are bearing fruit.

It is also consistent with the view I was arguing earlier that we need to RE-EXAMINE the very concept of what is a vaccine. Good posts! [!]

Ironically I just had this discussion in the last few hours with my friend who is undergoing treatment for Prostate Cancer. I also described a suggested avenue to him that overlaps. By way of an update he is scheduled for a radical prostectomy in October. But he is starting to put blood aside for himself so as to receive his own blood during the operation.

It is assumed that a bone biopsy will be performed upon going in but I asked him to ask the physician for an additional opinion on the efficacy of removing a little extra bone tissue so that in addition to the biopsy if the tissue was cancer free then marrow with the adult stem cells could be harvested and grown in anticipation of someday needing them for further treatment. It seems to me a more sensible investment then Cryo. Like using his own blood by cultivating his own marrow now he creates a product that is genetically matched to him and can utlize cryotech more effectively once there is a sufficient supply to store. It may be a profitable aside that industry should explore.

[Bruce Klein]

Nice posts Bobdrake!

Laz said:

It may be a profitable aside that industry should explore.

Excellent idea Laz, I could see this working... can you explain what you're refering to when you say:

It seems to me a more sensible investment then Cryo

You're not refering to cryonics, right?

[Lazarus Long]

BJ this is an aspect of cryonics, it is just, let us say, a little more pragmatic. I am not going to get into this debate anymore because once dead you are dead and if that means you are a frozen dead corpse you are still dead.

If genetic information is able to get cloned you don't need a body for that, if your neurochemical memory can survive cryonic suspension then perhaps it can be reawakenned but this is all too speculative as to date NOT ONE PERSON HAS RETURNED ALIVE.

Enough said on this I am all in favor of continuing the research. But an offshoot of this tech could be applied to the living (US!) and to keeping people alive NOW [!] Keeping our individual stem cells, derived from healthy bone marrow, alive and available for re-infusion later in a prolonged life when encountering a health crisis.

This is practical, important and doable under current technological guidlines. I would invest in this. The point is this is far more potentially profitable, takes less space, and is a parallel application of the exact same technology they have already developed. The service also can be provided at significantly lower cost and may be coverable under existing health insurance guidlines.

Feel free to forward a copy of this note to Solion, Lionel Vogt?