Perusing the Dana Foundation site, I found a really exciting article about a treatment strategy for malignant gliomas, using an oncolytic parvovirus that appears to target only cancerous cells.
Initial protocols at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg appear extremely promising and they are shortly beginning human trials.
Curiously and remarkably, a byproduct of the regimen is that subject rats (implanted with human glioma cells) seem to have developed immunity to the cancer:
“When we tried to rechallenge those animals with a large dose of these
normally-aggressive tumor cells, they were completely protected,”
This is not a new approach to cancer treatment investigation but this particular parvovirus seems especially auspicious for a currently incurable disease that tends to return even after surgical removal of the tumor and radiation therapy and, piques my curiosity about the relationship between cancers and viruses…
Also, in that same vein:
Several years ago, preliminary lab results fomented hysteria at Digg among others under a headline along the lines of, “Miracle cancer cure found but researchers can’t get funding because the compound is cheap and widely available..” And Big Pharma, etc., etc…
Truthfully, though, the research was difficult to fund and they ended up reaching out to private donors and Health Canada.
I got so wound up about their findings that I tried to push the story through to several news outlets but as always, nothing came of it. In hindsight, there was an awful lot of conspiracy theory, hoodoo voodoo stuff associated with the story so I can somewhat understand their reticence.
The story also led to a tragic rush by terminal cancer patients to purchase DCA and self medicate. Predatory sociopaths on the internet set up several sites selling the product (An Edmonton man pleaded guilty last Tuesday in a Phoenix, Ariz., court to selling a cornstarch-like substance online and pretending it was DCA). These were eventually shut down but I followed one with a message board– ostensibly so purchasers could share their success stories – where a very sad story arc developed, beginning with reports of initial success, then side effects, dietary changes to offset problems, additional spurious supplements, deteriorating health, reaching out to other posters for ideas to better success and finally abandonment of the treatment and disappearance from the discussions – with an occasional family member popping in later saying, “Thanks for your support, it meant a lot to X at the end and good luck.”
So the story faded from active consciousness until I read the story from the Dana Foundation and found the Edmonton team had just concluded human trials! The trial confirmed (!!!) that the drug has the ability to stop tumor growth and even reverse tumor growth!
The trial was very small and they are still having difficulty with funding (what researcher doesn’t say that?) but of the 5 patients with a life expectancy of no more than 7 months, 4 are still alive after 15 months and 3 of those 4 are cancer free!
They are soon starting new trials and collaborating with a California clinic trialing DCA as a treatment for breast and lung cancers.
I’m so wound up I’m writing in italics!
Also, PHARMA, etc., etc…
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