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Kills Tumors Dead
KeelSpawn writes "Today's cancer drugs are notorious for killing healthy cells along with cancerous ones. A new anticancer approach could offer a more precise option: kill just the tumor by choking off its blood supplies. The first drugs based on this approach are now in human trials and, if they work, could provide a virtually side-effect-free means of fighting a host of cancers."
This was rather fascinating to follow. The researchers noticed that when a tumor is removed, often times many more tumors sprout up in other locations. They deduced that the original tumor somehow supressed the growth of these other tumors. Some discovered that the original tumor was somehow starving the other tumors of blood. They deduced that the tumor produces a chemical that suppresses blood vessle growth and a chemical that increases blood vessle growth. The later had been observed for a while. The chemical that increases blood vessle growth, however, degrades faster so the net effect is flooding the tumor with blood while starving surrounding tissue. Thus the removal of the original tumor, allows smaller tumors to flourish.
Then the hunt began for a drug that would supress blood vessle growth. Using an existing drug would be easier than isolating a new one so a search began for an existing drug with the side effect of supressing blood vessle growth. One researcher then remembered that Thalidamide caused birth defects because it supressed blood vessle growth. In this ironic twist of fate Thalidamide became the first drug to test this method for combatting cancer. It was successful so the researchers have been tuning the process ever since.
Actually only the isomers fault. The problems with thalidomide were caused by one of its isomers.
Thalidomide was marketed as a drug FOR pregnant woman. Easing of morning sickness and stuff.
Today its used for certain cancers and aids patients to help with their appetite.
Veramocor