Cancer Trek: The Next Generation

To boldly go where no chemotherapy has gone before. To launch a fleet of genetically engineered T-cells that can stop advanced skin cancer in its tracks and promote well being and a lack of side-effects throughout the galaxy. I mean body.

Okay, okay. Enough. Now I know that everyone and their uncle has written about this story (444 sources by Google New's last count). You know, how a bunch of scientists at the National Cancer Institute took a bunch of T-cells from the blood of 17 people with seriously advanced and definitely lethal skin melanoma and engineered potent cancer fighting machines? How they retrofitted (with retroviruses) the T-cells with genes that encoded melanoma receptors so that the immune cells could circulate through the body, hunt down the tumors and kill them where they slept? How this is the first ACTUAL use of gene therapy to fight cancer even though we've been blabbing about it for decades? You know. That story. Well I just wanted to add my two cents and say COOOOOOOL!

Okay, so it only worked in 2 out of the 17 people, which statistically isn't that impressive. But considering that those two people had 3 to 6 months to live, it's pretty darn amazing that they are now CANCER FREE.

Of course the study leaves us with interesting questions. The engineered T-cells didn't survive in two of the patients. Why? Dunno. In the other 13 unsuccessful patients the T-cell populations kind of stopped expressing the new melanoma receptor gene, and hence didn't really have enough teeth to keep up the cancer fighting. Why? Dunno. And while this particular gene and this particular cell might prove tricky, it's a problem that biologists have been pretty darn good at solving over the past decade. I am VERY hopefully they'll work out the kinks soon.

And, and, and...it's going to be SUNNY. In VANCOUVER. Over Labour Day weekend. Which has happened all of 3 times in the past 20 years (according to Anne's dad). Good-Day-Sun-Shine. (But please remember to apply sunscreen. They might be able to cure skin cancer, but wouldn't it be better just not to get it?).

Comments

[MM]

My former roommate would tan sans sunscreen because "someone will find a cure for skin cancer by the time I/she gets it." Meanwhile, I slathered on SPF 45 before my daily treks across campus, pale but happy that I could one day laugh at her melanoma-covered face. Curse you, Australian scientists, for taking away my chance to gloat. I never thought that ditz would be right about anything.

[donna]

We'll be headed to Vancouver on the 15th - keep that sunshine around, will ya?

[Anna]

Oh the pain. Oh the cursed pain of such fearful lack of gloat. It's true..you see all those people with, like, wickedassed tans..and you're all with the zinc stripe down your nose thinking "I might look like a circus act, but those people will die for their wretched beauty!" I am sure that everyone in LA is having a beach party for this news..oh wait, people in LA don't READ the news.