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Training an Immune System To Kill Cancer: a Universal Strategy

Posted by Soulskill on from the fighting-fire-with-napalm dept.

New submitter Guppy writes "A previous story reported widely in the media, and appearing both on Slashdot and XKCD, described a novel cancer treatment, in which a patient's own T-cells were modified using an HIV-derived vector to recognize and kill leukemia cells. In a follow-up publication (PDF), a further development is described which allows for a nearly unlimited choice of target antigens, broadening the types of malignancies potentially treatable with the technique (abstract)."

1 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Pneumonia Wins Again by BoRegardless · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If we can commercialize the treatment AT LOW COST, it will bring about a major new medical treatment industry, and it will allow millions of people to remain productive. That is the good part.

    Hopefully it doesn't make the various worldwide retirement systems go bankrupt (though some will anyway because citizens allow governments to erect Ponzi schemes).

    With fewer cancer deaths Pneumonia will take the lives of even more people, not that we will be able to do anything about that.

    In other words, we are still guaranteed to die of something.