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How are we supposed to cure diseases we don't fully understand? How can radical new solutions be tested if we don't even know if they're feasible? Basic researc
by 88e282102ae2e5b 11y ago
How are we supposed to cure diseases we don't fully understand? How can radical new solutions be tested if we don't even know if they're feasible? Basic research answers these questions.
- sjg007 11y agoIf you would have waited until you fully understood a disease in order to treat it then kids would still be dying of leukemia today instead of having a 90% remission rate today. People should read about Emil Freireich and the development of chemotherapy.
- nonbel 11y ago>"kids would still be dying of leukemia today instead of having a 90% remission rate today" Do you know a good source for the historical data? I am wondering how they rule out that in the 1950s/60s they saw only much sicker patients, while today a bigger population gets diagnosed and treated. Related, there may be lead time bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_time_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_time_bias Any source with discussion of these methodological issues would be helpful.