Slashdot Mirror
Cure for Cancer?
Ensign Regis writes "MIT's Technology Review is reporting that an Israeli institute has developed "molecular-sized" computers that can detect and eradicate cancer cells. Right now, it only works in test tubes, but it may soon be developed for humans."
Clinical research is caught between a rock and a hard place. If a therapy turns out to be dangerous in human trials, the researchers are heartless murderers; if a therapy isn't instantly available to everyone whom it might benefit, the researchers are heartless murderers. The compromise we have works that way for a reason.
By the way, has anyone read the Nature article and understood what this thing does? It looks like incredibly clever work, but it's presented with so much hype (the repeated references to "drug release" instead of whatever actually happens -- cleavage of an oligo, transcription?) that it's hard to make sense of. Maybe the third time this story is posted here, it'll be clearer.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
Come on. Read the news? Everything is fucking carcinogenic.
Sure. Lets get rid of cars, and power plants, and computers, and cell phones, and rocks, and trees, and dirt, and other people. And french fries. Don't forget the french fries.
No, but really. I mean, Cancer is one of those diseases that has probably been around and mislabeled for thousands of years, and now that people are living longer, they're more likely to contract it over time.
I don't have access to the paper itself (that requires a subscription), but Nature news has a slightly more informative article.
It looks to me like the computer part is single-stranded DNA that base pairs with the mRNA for certain cancer genes. Presumably when a high enough level of these mRNAs is sensed, another DNA molecule is released. This one is supposed to prevent expression of the cancer genes... I'm guessing it is an antisense molecule, but the news article doesn't say. The news article also has no detail on how the drug is released. My guess is its a cleavage event. DNA enzymes capable of self-cleavage have been created in the past.
To me, it looks like the advance here is the "computer" part, not the drug part. And even that is still very much in the pre-clinical realm. The Nature news article says that it only works under particular salt conditions. Also, they haven't looked at how the immune system would respond to these computers. The immune system does respond to some DNA molecules, so that is definitely a concern.
Its interesting work, though. I may have to head over to my local university library and get my hands on the actual paper.
Diuretics and Fiber are not real ways in which to cleanse the body of toxins?
No. Fiber should be a part of your daily diet anyway. Diuretics are more likely to cause cancer than help anything. Your body is designed to eliminate toxins on its own. Adding artificial chemicals does nothing more than force your body to do things it wouldn't normally do. Your body is a well designed machine, otherwise we'd all be dead.
Ginkgo Biloba does not increase ciculation of blood leaving less deposits?
Eh? Less "deposits"? I've got some magic beans for you.
Cowboy Neal did this April 29th.
DNA Computer Detects, Treats Disease
i know how hard it must be to search the Old Stories link for something as obvious as 'cancer'...
-Malakai
A Dragon Lives in my Garage