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."

Comments

Let's all hope it won't be abused

[e-Trolley]

Given the perversion of mankind, let's all hope they use it for medicine and not for politics.

Re:Would you want to know

[ebrandsberg]

Obviously, you don't have children. If you knew that you would be dead in 10 years, you may do things differently to prepare for it, like saving money for their college instead of for your retirement. It changes things when you know you don't have to prepare for some things, but have time to prepare for others.

Re:Could You Choose Beta Release Medicine?

[Otter]

I understand all that, and maybe in an ideal world people could be trusted to weigh the benefits and risks for themselves and take complete responsibility for their choices. (Maybe)

But in practice, doctors and researchers _are_ expected to not actively kill people and subjects _wouldn't_ take full responsibility for the consequences of any crazy-ass scheme they volunteered for. Therefore, we don't have a system where people read about pre-pre-pre-clinical research like this, show up in the lab and have a grad student start injecting god-knows-what into them.

On who do you think they try it first?

[SmallFurryCreature]

These kind of things have been shown in tv-movies before. People trying to get into a clinical trial because while there is a huge risk that is still better then certain death.

Problem is of course that goverments are rightly worried about experimenting on humans. So such trials are always small and need very strict guidelines for wich candidates are accepted. They don't want candidates who have multiple diseases since then they wouldn't know what is curing wich and wich other medicines are interering.

The bad news in your case is that there would hardly be a shortage of patients for who this the last change.

As someone who lost his mother to cancer at a young age. Applause to the researchers. Hope they have the magic bullet to get rid of cancer.

Re:Negative Consequences?

[Eccles]

Even though i'm excited about the prospect of curing cancer, this type of technology scares me. What is out there stopping people from modifying these little computers to kill say.... white blood cells?

The fact that bullets, poison, etc., are a hell of a lot cheaper? It seems we have plenty of ways to kill people, and adding the potential for a few more isn't that big an issue.

Re:Wonder when the first virus will be released...

[Anonymous Coward]

That's easy, there are thousands of poisons available to do that. It's making selective poisons that's impressive.

Re:Negative Consequences?

[Hinde01]

There is probably a negative application for every medical innovation. If somebody wanted to make this kind of thing harmful they could. It would probably be simpler to alter an existing virus like smallpox. Compared to nuclear weapons developing a bio weapon is much cheaper, and has the potential for a much bigger impact.

Re:Cures

[obeythefist]

Seriously, I don't. Give me a test tube full of cancerous cells and I'll give you a million ways to kill them.

Killing cancer cells in a test tube: Easy.

Killing 100% of all cancer cells in a living human body whilst leaving the rest of the cells unharmed with no life critical side effects: Near impossible.

It's a long, long way to go yet.