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999cop

Cancer's cure

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists have developed a molecule that appears to make cancer its own worst enemy.
In laboratory tests on mice, the molecule -- called icon -- killed tumors by destroying the blood vessels that feed them. It also caused the cancers to produce copies of icon, which spread through the body and attacked other cancers.

The process eliminated human melanoma and prostate cancers in the tested mice. The first trials in people are planned for next year.

Drugs that inhibit the growth of the blood vessels that feed cancer have received wide attention in recent years, though early results reported last spring showed less promise than had been hoped for.

The new therapy, developed by researchers Alan Garen and Zhiwei Hu at Yale University, takes a different approach, attacking the cells lining the blood vessels in tumors rather than trying to prevent the growth of new blood vessels.

Their findings are reported in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We're excited about it," Garen said. But he cautioned, "From mice to men, that is a big jump. Until the trial is done with patients you can't be sure."

Dr. Albert Deisseroth of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego is arranging clinical trials, which he hopes to launch next spring once approval is obtained from the Food and Drug Administration.

He also cautioned against jumping to conclusions about possible new cancer therapy. "There are differences between animals and human beings."

But, Deisseroth added, "when studies in animals are so reproducible and encouraging ... then you feel justified to invite individuals who are not responding to other forms of therapy to participate" in trials.

The first trial will focus on people with melanoma -- a type of skin cancer -- that has spread throughout the body, he said.

While the animal tests have worked on prostate cancer and melanoma, in theory the therapy should work on any solid cancer, Deisseroth said.

Garen said that cells lining the blood vessels in tumors have a receptor on their surface called TF (tissue factor), which is not present on the cells lining blood vessels in other parts of the body.

His team found that a molecule circulating in the blood called fVII bonds strongly to TF.

The researchers created their new molecule by attaching an fVII molecule to a portion of a human antibody called Fc. Fc causes the breakdown of cells it binds to and activates the body's immune system to attack those cells.

The new icon molecule was inserted in a harmless virus that was injected directly into a tumor. Once infected, the tumor cells produce more icon and secrete it into the blood, where it circulates. When it encounters a tumor, it binds to the TF in its blood vessels, destroying them.

In mice with human melanoma or prostate cancer that received the molecule, both the injected tumor and others that were not directly injected disappeared.

"The mice appeared to be free of the disease and in good health at the end of the experiments, which lasted up to 194 days," the researchers reported.

Control mice with similar cancers that did not receive the molecule died within 63 days.

Derrick Grant, a blood-vessel expert at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, called the findings "very exciting."

The paper "puts a new and important spin on Judah Folkmans hypotheses that destroying the tumor vasculature can stop tumor growth," he said. Folkman, of Boston Children's Hospital, is a pioneer in efforts to battle cancer by attacking its blood supply.

Transferring the molecule into a tumor in a virus that forces the tumor to make more of the anti-cancer molecule "is brilliant and deserves praise," Grant said.

Thanks to STDGeneral

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Well that's cool, I hope it turns out to be the silver bullet and not another empty promise or half-cure.

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Well that's cool, I hope it turns out to be the silver bullet and not another empty promise or half-cure.


Ditto. My Grandmother died of cancer, as well as my Aunt. My mom made a good recovery from cancer.

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My cat also died of cancer.


My cat had cancer, too. A big lump on her ear. It was cut off, and now it looks like she was in a fight. I hope this cure is the real thing.

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Well, at least it sounds like the "real" cure. But then again, there are like 3 failed attempts that looked very promising.

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I hope to God it's the real thing. My mom had cancer two years ago, but she's ok now.

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I hope to God it's the real thing. My mom had cancer two years ago, but she's ok now.

Uhm... well, whatever you guys did before seemed to work, so what's the deal?

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Well, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but chemo and radiation don't cure cancer persay, they send it into a very very deep remission.

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, the molecule -- called icon --


Its the Icon of Sin...or not...definately not...in fact its the anti-icon of sin

Icon of Sin = Evil
Icon the Molecule = Good

BS aside, I hope this is the answer...now we just need to go after AIDS...

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My cat also died of cancer.


Once again, are you trying to be funny?


You mean that you actually consider a dead cat to be something to laugh at!?

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my mother died of stomach cancer in 1996, it would be great to see a cure. it would be one of the biggest, if not THE biggest medical breakthrough in history.

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At least until a new, even more horrific disease breaks loose in the future, and a cure if found for that...

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i'd be kind of funny, or at least ironic, if cancer was holding back some ultra-deadly, SUPER cancer AND WE ARE ALL DOOMED! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

...well, my grandmother has lung cancer though she didn't smoke (my dad and grandfater did tho), and it would be really good to see a cure. I think i'm prone to skin cancer, as i have fair skin. Cool

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yeah my cat died of lukemia 2 years ago, he had a big tumor in his lung, he died in the vet the day after we took him there he was 5 years old...damn i miss that cat

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lol, well this is odd. So far so many replies are mostly concerned about either your mom or your cat. Don't you sense this is strange? I mean does this prove females and cats are epecially easy to suffer from cancer. I thought smoking, drinking, and having a bad life-schedule are the most general reasons that cause cancer. And I doubt if there were so many mothers and cats got cancer, unless your mother smokes, or a cat has a bad life-schedule. These are the most general possibilities of why they suffer from cancer, I think

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Well, lung cancer can be caused by smoking and liver cancer can be caused by drinking, but breast cancer and prostate cancer, etc. are pretty much random.

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wow icon, wonder if they played doom, i dont think it has anything with icon of sin. Anyway that is good news but why is it posted on doomworld, well the ocasional non doom related post id fair, as long is it is not a flame war or useless nonsence

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You mean that you actually consider a dead cat to be something to laugh at!?


He pulled a sarcasm joke before, I don't know when he'll stop doing that kind of shit.

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Well that's cool, I hope it turns out to be the silver bullet and not another empty promise or half-cure.

God, I hope so too. My grandma has cancer right now and she may not make it through. Here's hoping this cure actually does the trick.

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You mean that you actually consider a dead cat to be something to laugh at!?

Of course! You know what's even funnier? Punting a small dog like a football!! HAHAHAHAH

That's cruel to give prostate cancer to a mouse.

As long as it helps us, who gives a shit? Lab mice live for one reason: to die in the hopes of improving our lives.

Actually AIDS is the most deadliest of all diseases

No, look in Guinness, it's rabies. AIDS is just really widespread.

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You mean that you actually consider a dead cat to be something to laugh at!?


He pulled a sarcasm joke before, I don't know when he'll stop doing that kind of shit.

When? What? Where?
Link to thread please.

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