A cure for cancer?

[undecim]

I just read this article and was quite amazed. So far, there are 0 side effects, and nothing but perfection.

http://gizmodo.com/5501103/this-is-the-future-of-the-fight-against-cancer

Usually the problem with curing cancer is that there are so many different forms of it. But according to the article, these nanoparticals could be made to attack any specific gene.

I wonder if these could also be used against viruses, such as HIV.

[kaldor]

Or we could be looking more into what has been shown to help stop the spread of cancer and slow the process down; cannabis.

[spaik]

it is interesting, but i saw too many articles and news about curing cancer... from all around the world with different ways and stuff. i also saw one about Aids and i think it was in china.. but i dont know i never hear about them again or anything or even see anything about them in the tv.....

[tad1073]

Or we could be looking more into what has been shown to help stop the spread of cancer and slow the process down; cannabis.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/22384/totally-baked

[kaldor]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/22384/totally-baked

Too bad Hulu hates Canada :(

[eriktheblu]

Wasn't this how the remake of "I am legend" started?

[_h_]

Wasn't this how the remake of "I am legend" started?

In a sense, however in that movie it was a genetically engineered virus and not nano technology.

[Hyper Tails]

pretty cool

I must say thats is freaking sweet!

[undecim]

In a sense, however in that movie it was a genetically engineered virus and not nano technology.

Actually, these things are basically viruses. RNA wrapped in protein designed to be injected into a cell.

Only difference is that these guys don't copy themselves. The RNA is designed to stop protein production, so even if the cancerous cells copy the RNA, there is no way that the protein that is needed to spread the RNA will be created.

Yeah, there's really no way that these things could do any harm. At worst, they could stop the growth of a cell here and there, but only if there is a flaw in making them. They are designed to attack only the cancerous cells.

[undecim]

Actually, these things are basically viruses. RNA wrapped in protein designed to be injected into a cell.

Only difference is that these guys don't copy themselves. The RNA is designed to stop protein production, so even if the cancerous cells copy the RNA, there is no way that the protein that is needed to spread the RNA will be created.

Yeah, there's really no way that these things could do any harm. At worst, they could stop the growth of a cell here and there, but only if there is a flaw in making them. They are designed to attack only the cancerous cells.

Actually, now that I think about it, this sounds kind of like the pitch that a movie scientist would give to the government to convince them that the virus is safe.

[CJ Master]

The cost will be through the roof... but amazing nontheless.

[weichimaster]

Thanks for the link - most interesting.

[Tanayar]

Hope the price won't get to high.
Very intresting, hope it gets public before someone close to me dies :P

[undecim]

The cost will be through the roof... but amazing nontheless.

Modern cancer treatment already costs thousands.

And from what I understand, these things don't cost thousands to produce.

[JDShu]

Its only initial tests for a specific kind of skin cancer, this is an awesome first step but we've got along way to go.

[andras artois]

Anyone remember the nano replicators from Stargate Atlantis that nearly killed Dr Weir?

[Doctor Mike]

This is likely very good news for people with many types of disease. The bad part is this same technology could be used as a weapon to attack any kind of cell structure including cell structures that vary by race. This kind of thing needs to be watched real close. Hope that cat stays in the bag of the people who developed it.

[undecim]

This is likely very good news for people with many types of disease. The bad part is this same technology could be used as a weapon to attack any kind of cell structure including cell structures that vary by race. This kind of thing needs to be watched real close. Hope that cat stays in the bag of the people who developed it.

Bullets and a racist's eye do the same thing and would cost less.

I don't see any threat of weaponization of these

[Doctor Mike]

Bullets and a racist's eye do the same thing and would cost less.

I don't see any threat of weaponization of theseI hope your right.

[forrestcupp]

Wasn't this how the remake of "I am legend" started?Exactly what I was thinking.


In a sense, however in that movie it was a genetically engineered virus and not nano technology.
How about I, Robot on a microscopic scale, then? ;)

[phrostbyte]

Technically we have a cure for cancer, just throw the patient into a volcano. Cancer is dead. :p The trick has always been, how to we kill the cancer cells without harming the normal cells? Since cancer cells are just (often randomly) mutated normal cells, it's a very challenging problem.

Sounds good to be true. How does these "nanobots" (seems like synthetic viruses) are able to tell the difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell? This is something that is often challenging for the native immune system to decide.

[hoppipolla]

Sounds wonderful :)

Let's see what happens!

But yes there are other things reported to have an effect on cancer (and other illnesses and viruses etc) like MMS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_pzNnZzmRM), B17 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFnP9sU1KW4) and DCA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjxXwaUUrxs), but this is possibly the best I have heard of yet!

Oh, I also heard rumours about herbs such as Milk Thistle.. hmm! Who knows :)

[the yawner]

This is likely very good news for people with many types of disease. The bad part is this same technology could be used as a weapon to attack any kind of cell structure including cell structures that vary by race. This kind of thing needs to be watched real close. Hope that cat stays in the bag of the people who developed it.
I'm not entirely sure. But I believe these patterns that vary by race are exclusively on the DNA level. And this solution hardly covers that.


Technically we have a cure for cancer, just throw the patient into a volcano. Cancer is dead. :p The trick has always been, how to we kill the cancer cells without harming the normal cells? Since cancer cells are just (often randomly) mutated normal cells, it's a very challenging problem.

Sounds good to be true. How does these "nanobots" (seems like synthetic viruses) are able to tell the difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell? This is something that is often challenging for the native immune system to decide.
The way I understood it, it's like these nanobots only attach to a specific cell in a manner that you could only attach a flashdrive into a USB port and not on a firewire port.

[ndefontenay]

But if we never allow cells to mutate, we will never have X-Men!
I had hopes!

[3rdalbum]

I'll continue to watch this technology, but I don't think it will really be as good as they are claiming.

I also don't understand the person who said it would be like "I, Robot" on a microscopic scale. I've seen the movie and I've read the original text. Is there something that I'm not getting, or is the person unfamiliar with I, Robot?

[JDShu]

First, the fact that its being published in Nature gives it credibility.

The catch is that theres probably a lot of overlap, so for each kind of cancer (they've thus far only tested on a specific kind of skin cancer) you have to hope that there is a gene that you can specifically target that isn't important for the functions of the rest of the body.

[forrestcupp]

I also don't understand the person who said it would be like "I, Robot" on a microscopic scale. I've seen the movie and I've read the original text. Is there something that I'm not getting, or is the person unfamiliar with I, Robot?

The nanorobots will get a mind of their own and start taking over cells that they were never meant to take over, causing havoc and suppression. Just think about what did happen in I, Robot, and apply it to a nanorobot scale.

But I was mainly joking because someone said it wasn't really like I Am Legend.

[undecim]

I'm not entirely sure. But I believe these patterns that vary by race are exclusively on the DNA level. And this solution hardly covers that.

Yes, but the DNA dictates which proteins are created, and so if you have a protein that is only created by the DNA of a certain race, it would start killing cells that have that protein.

It's the same as it kills cancerous sells. The cancerous cells have mutated in such a way that their growth is no longer controlled. That's the DNA level, too, but it creates proteins that aren't found anywhere else in the body.

Of course, if you target, say, a protein that creates a pigment, you would only be killing off those cells, and not necessarily killing a person.

Like I said before, there are much more efficient ways of killing off specific groups of people.