"Husband and father of 3, age 31, high grade spindle cell sarcoma, stage 4 with mets- help! [email protected] or find me (spouse) on fb, Heather Cimino in Fort Myers, Fl, willing to travel anywhere, just save my husband!"
"my wife has tumor that are killing her will you hurry up and get this sorted - is there anyway one can volunteer for a trial [email protected]"
Yes, there is. Fight for the right of each individual to follow his best judgement in regard to all matters pertaining to his own life. (If someone doesn't know enough to make the call, he knows enough to choose a physician who can.)
Right now, timely experimental treatments are basically outlawed. What good is it to say that there's an FDA procedure to get around the controls if you're treated too late? What right does anyone have to deprive anyone else of what might be their only shot at life?
It bothers me to continuously see articles with headlines like this. Just look at the comments—it gives false hope to patients and their families. As the author mentioned later in the article, there is a big difference between seeing cancer cells die in a petri dish or reduction in size of a transplanted tumor in mice and it being safe and effective in humans. I hope this succeeds, but it is a long way from a Phase 2/3 clinical trial.
Cancer research is too important to use misleading, link bait headlines to attract attention.
However... you can't use that antibody directly in humans, since it is a mouse antibody, which the human immune system will recognize as foreign. So, even if this treatment were to work, it is necessary is to first "humanize" the antibody so it won't be rejected, and then you can see what effect you get in a clinical trial. I imagine this is what the $20mil funding is for.
"Although macrophages also attacked blood cells expressing CD47 when mice were given the antibody, the researchers found that the decrease in blood cells was short-lived; the animals turned up production of new blood cells to replace those they lost from the treatment"
That's great -- does anyone know if any other cells in the body express CD47? Especially ones that can't be replaced so easily?
I would expect that human tissue put in mice would normally be rejected by the mouse's immune system, so this treatment would just allow that to happen in the special case of cancer tissue (which has mechanisms to prevent that). I'm worried that the human immune system wouldn't be as interested in attacking its own cells that became cancerous, even with this treatment.
White blood cell transplant is proven to shrink (cure) cancer. However you won't see it in the USA for the next XX years. Some doctors in China is already doing it though, so if you can travel, that is an option.
Also, I believe there is an organization that helps cancer victims by arranging travels outside of USA for innovative treatments, LEF can refer you to them.
[+] [-] wwwtyro|13 years ago|reply
"Husband and father of 3, age 31, high grade spindle cell sarcoma, stage 4 with mets- help! [email protected] or find me (spouse) on fb, Heather Cimino in Fort Myers, Fl, willing to travel anywhere, just save my husband!"
"my wife has tumor that are killing her will you hurry up and get this sorted - is there anyway one can volunteer for a trial [email protected]"
There has got to be a way to address this need.
[+] [-] maxharris|13 years ago|reply
Yes, there is. Fight for the right of each individual to follow his best judgement in regard to all matters pertaining to his own life. (If someone doesn't know enough to make the call, he knows enough to choose a physician who can.)
Right now, timely experimental treatments are basically outlawed. What good is it to say that there's an FDA procedure to get around the controls if you're treated too late? What right does anyone have to deprive anyone else of what might be their only shot at life?
[+] [-] ceejayoz|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sunnybunny|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] traughber|13 years ago|reply
Cancer research is too important to use misleading, link bait headlines to attract attention.
[+] [-] jasallen|13 years ago|reply
Nothing more useful to add to this comment. Sorry
[+] [-] pcrh|13 years ago|reply
This is the original article: http://www.pnas.org/content/109/17/6662
You can actually get the antibody yourself, FTA: "The anti-hCD47 (B6H12) hybridoma was obtained from the ATCC" [http://www.lgcstandards-atcc.org/Products/All/HB-9771.aspx]
Purifying it is easy, if you have a lab.
However... you can't use that antibody directly in humans, since it is a mouse antibody, which the human immune system will recognize as foreign. So, even if this treatment were to work, it is necessary is to first "humanize" the antibody so it won't be rejected, and then you can see what effect you get in a clinical trial. I imagine this is what the $20mil funding is for.
You can find clinical trials for new drugs here:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/
[+] [-] kmtrowbr|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wwwtyro|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jakubmal|13 years ago|reply
May this be another 'lost' case, appeared once and never again?
[+] [-] wwwtyro|13 years ago|reply
That's great -- does anyone know if any other cells in the body express CD47? Especially ones that can't be replaced so easily?
[+] [-] viraptor|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] guard-of-terra|13 years ago|reply
That's why fighting it is so difficult. I highly doubt there ever can be one chemical substance that reliably fights all sorts of cancer.
And you can't really cure cancer anyway.
Our only hope at this point is genetic engineering.
[+] [-] johntb86|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] blaabjerg|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bitwize|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ttrreeww|13 years ago|reply
See http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/jul2010_Life-Extension-F...
Also, I believe there is an organization that helps cancer victims by arranging travels outside of USA for innovative treatments, LEF can refer you to them.