4 ms·

But is there any hope that medicine will find a way to enhance or strengthen any of the body's mechanisms for controlling these mutated cells and this erroneous

But is there any hope that medicine will find a way to enhance or strengthen any of the body's mechanisms for controlling these mutated cells and this erroneously copied DNA? Is that just a dead end?

robbiep 14y ago
yes - sort of - that's what the paper is about essentially - it details a gene therapy approach where T cells are removed, taught how to recognise surface antigens for leukaemia cells and re-injected into the body, leading in 3 weeks to a complete clearance of his CLL which he had had for 13 years and which was close to killing him. Now THAT is a cure. So the immune system may be the key to doing this. but for what you are asking: Things we can do now: - We can take things that lessen the chance of this damage occurring in the first place (Anti-oxidants, good diet, 'everything in moderation', etc) - We can modify our lifestyle to avoid risk factors (Cut smoking, drinking, drugs, bad food) - We can actively do things that are likely to strengthen our immune system and the constant immuno-surveillance that it performs, that already stop us from developing cancer at age 1 (Exercise, good sleep) Things we Can't do: : Because of lack of precedent, failure of mechanism, or lack of scientific enabling principle (Your 'dead end') - We will probably NEVER (although that's a strong word in scientific progress - let's say not for the foreseeable future, 25-30-40 years) be able to take a pill that will REVERES the damage once it's done - We will probably NEVER (with the usual caveats) be able to take a 'simple' drug molecule, as we understand the word to mean at the moment, to kill cancer cells wherever they are in the body : Because we just don't understand enough about how to do this: - We lack enough understanding to say what would happen if we were potentially able to design a molecule that acted as a 'backup' to the main TSP, p53, and were able to somehow deliver it into the cell to be a 'backup' tumour suppressor and make the cell autodestruct if it got out of control I could go on and on about theorised Rx'es, things we do now, things we are just bringing online, and how I think it will all go down but that's probably enough for a buried response in HN that few people will ever read. However if you have any more specific questions or I can help you understand something else, ask away

But is there any hope that medicine will find a way to enhance or strengthen any of the body's mechanisms for controlling these mutated cells and this erroneously copied DNA? Is that just a dead end?

robbiep 14y ago

yes - sort of - that's what the paper is about essentially - it details a gene therapy approach where T cells are removed, taught how to recognise surface antigens for leukaemia cells and re-injected into the body, leading in 3 weeks to a complete clearance of his CLL which he had had for 13 years and which was close to killing him. Now THAT is a cure. So the immune system may be the key to doing this. but for what you are asking: Things we can do now: - We can take things that lessen the chance of this damage occurring in the first place (Anti-oxidants, good diet, 'everything in moderation', etc) - We can modify our lifestyle to avoid risk factors (Cut smoking, drinking, drugs, bad food) - We can actively do things that are likely to strengthen our immune system and the constant immuno-surveillance that it performs, that already stop us from developing cancer at age 1 (Exercise, good sleep) Things we Can't do: : Because of lack of precedent, failure of mechanism, or lack of scientific enabling principle (Your 'dead end') - We will probably NEVER (although that's a strong word in scientific progress - let's say not for the foreseeable future, 25-30-40 years) be able to take a pill that will REVERES the damage once it's done - We will probably NEVER (with the usual caveats) be able to take a 'simple' drug molecule, as we understand the word to mean at the moment, to kill cancer cells wherever they are in the body : Because we just don't understand enough about how to do this: - We lack enough understanding to say what would happen if we were potentially able to design a molecule that acted as a 'backup' to the main TSP, p53, and were able to somehow deliver it into the cell to be a 'backup' tumour suppressor and make the cell autodestruct if it got out of control I could go on and on about theorised Rx'es, things we do now, things we are just bringing online, and how I think it will all go down but that's probably enough for a buried response in HN that few people will ever read. However if you have any more specific questions or I can help you understand something else, ask away