"Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice"

Yakult

http://hubpages.com/hub/Scientists_cure_cancer__but_no_one_takes_notice

Canadian researchers find a simple cure for cancer, but major pharmaceutical companies are not interested.

Researchers at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada have cured cancer last week, yet there is a little ripple in the news or in TV. It is a simple technique using very basic drug. The method employs dichloroacetate, which is currently used to treat metabolic disorders. So, there is no concern of side effects or about their long term effects.

This drug doesn’t require a patent, so anyone can employ it widely and cheaply compared to the costly cancer drugs produced by major pharmaceutical companies.

Canadian scientists tested this dichloroacetate (DCA) on human’s cells; it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells and left the healthy cells alone. It was tested on Rats inflicted with severe tumors; their cells shrank when they were fed with water supplemented with DCA. The drug is widely available and the technique is easy to use, why the major drug companies are not involved? Or the Media interested in this find?

In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria, but they need to be triggered to be effective. Scientists used to think that these mitochondria cells were damaged and thus ineffective against cancer. So they used to focus on glycolysis, which is less effective in curing cancer and more wasteful. The drug manufacturers focused on this glycolysis method to fight cancer. This DCA on the other hand doesn’t rely on glycolysis instead on mitochondria; it triggers the mitochondria which in turn fights the cancer cells.

The side effect of this is it also reactivates a process called apoptosis. You see, mitochondria contain an all-too-important self-destruct button that can't be pressed in cancer cells. Without it, tumors grow larger as cells refuse to be extinguished. Fully functioning mitochondria, thanks to DCA, can once again die.

With glycolysis turned off, the body produces less lactic acid, so the bad tissue around cancer cells doesn't break down and seed new tumors.

Pharmaceutical companies are not investing in this research because DCA method cannot be patented, without a patent they can’t make money, like they are doing now with their AIDS Patent. Since the pharmaceutical companies won’t develop this, the article says other independent laboratories should start producing this drug and do more research to confirm all the above findings and produce drugs. All the groundwork can be done in collaboration with the Universities, who will be glad to assist in such research and can develop an effective drug for curing cancer.

You can access the original research for this cancer here.

This article wants to raise awareness for this study, hope some independent companies and small startup will pick up this idea and produce these drugs, because the big companies won’t touch it for a long time.

money money money..

Saila

is it yakult

LighterGuy

Are you serious? :eek:

El Weirdo

Was the article translated with Google?

bonerm

Yakult wrote: »

http://hubpages.com/hub/Scientists_cure_cancer__but_no_one_takes_notice





money money money..

There's no money in cures, only in preventions.

Captain_Generic

That article is at least 4 years old, I remember hearing about it before and the "cure" was fairly widely debunked by respected medical journals


More up to date commentary on this:

http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2010/05/dichloroacetate_dca_brain_canc.php

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/05/14/dca_and_cancer_more_results.php

djan

well can i have a few shots of this for back up please?
Quite rwmarkable if true. Sure instead of paying out banks use 10% of the money towards this.

TheDukeOfEarl

Too long didn't read. My opinion NWO.

General General

Yak yak yak

Ickle Magoo

In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria, but they need to be triggered to be effective. Scientists used to think that these mitochondria cells were damaged and thus ineffective against cancer.

Wot? Now, I'm no biologist but even I know mitochondria are not cells - natural cancer fighting or otherwise...

purity

A final breakthrough in a cure and yet backs are turned. Cancer is a terrible disease and has affected so many people yet we live in hope a cure is found and now there is but we can't avail of it stupid people:mad:

Saila

LighterGuy wrote: »

Are you serious? :eek:

yeah, four years ago though!

strokemyclover

Nothing new here really, they've been suppressing viable cures/alternatives to modern medicine for life-threatening illnesses for years to increase profit*

*Note: I thanked the OP (mainly for his contribution to the Football Manager's forum though! LOL :pac:)

TimmyMallett

the article seems to be over 4 years old (going on the comments).

The greater argument at the heart of the article is still very vaild though - how can the brains in the world that are capable of putting man into space have not yet found a cure for cancer or AIDS?

amacachi

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

Wot? Now, I'm no biologist but even I know mitochondria are not cells - natural cancer fighting or otherwise...

Thank God you said that, for a second I thought my last two years of sitting in Biology lectures had all been a dream.

ScumLord

Someone on that page posted a link to collage research from 2010

http://www.dca.med.ualberta.ca/Home/Updates/2010-05-12_Update.cfm

El Weirdo

TimmyMallett wrote: »

the article seems to be over 4 years old (going on the comments).

Here's the original research linked to in the OP's article.

http://www.depmed.ualberta.ca/dca

The University of Alberta Discovery
March 15, 2007
DCA is an odourless, colourless, inexpensive, relatively non-toxic, small molecule. And researchers at the University of Alberta believe it may soon be used as an effective treatment for many forms of cancer.
Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, a professor at the U of A Department of Medicine, has shown that dichloroacetate (DCA) causes regression in several cancers, including lung, breast, and brain tumors.
Michelakis and his colleagues, including post-doctoral fellow Dr. Sebastien Bonnet, have published the results of their research in the journal Cancer Cell.
Scientists and doctors have used DCA for decades to treat children with inborn errors of metabolism due to mitochondrial diseases. Mitochondria, the energy producing units in cells, have been connected with cancer since the 1930s, when researchers first noticed that these organelles dysfunction when cancer is present.
Until recently, researchers believed that cancer-affected mitochondria are permanently damaged and that this damage is the result, not the cause, of the cancer. But Michelakis, a cardiologist, questioned this belief and began testing DCA, which activates a critical mitochondrial enzyme, as a way to "revive" cancer-affected mitochondria.
The results astounded him.
Michelakis and his colleagues found that DCA normalized the mitochondrial function in many cancers, showing that their function was actively suppressed by the cancer but was not permanently damaged by it.
More importantly, they found that the normalization of mitochondrial function resulted in a significant decrease in tumor growth both in test tubes and in animal models. Also, they noted that DCA, unlike most currently used chemotherapies, did not have any effects on normal, non-cancerous tissues.
"I think DCA can be selective for cancer because it attacks a fundamental process in cancer development that is unique to cancer cells," Michelakis said. "One of the really exciting things about this compound is that it might be able to treat many different forms of cancer".
Another encouraging thing about DCA is that, being so small, it is easily absorbed in the body, and, after oral intake, it can reach areas in the body that other drugs cannot, making it possible to treat brain cancers, for example.
Also, because DCA has been used in both healthy people and sick patients with mitochondrial diseases, researchers already know that it is a relatively non-toxic molecule that can be immediately tested patients with cancer.

"The results are intriguing because they point to the critical role that mitochondria play: they impart a unique trait to cancer cells that can be exploited for cancer therapy"
Dario Alteri
Director University of Massachusetts Cancer Center

Investing in Research
The DCA compound is not patented and not owned by any pharmaceutical company, and, therefore, would likely be an inexpensive drug to administer, says Michelakis, the Canada Research Chair in Pulmonary Hypertension and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program with Capital Health, one of Canada's largest health authorities.
However, as DCA is not patented, Michelakis is concerned that it may be difficult to find funding from private investors to test DCA in clinical trials. He is grateful for the support he has already received from publicly funded agencies, such as the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), and he is hopeful such support will continue and allow him to conduct clinical trials of DCA on cancer patients.
Michelakis' research is currently funded by the CIHR, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canada Research Chairs program, and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.
"This preliminary research is encouraging and offers hope to thousands of Canadians and all others around the world who are afflicted by cancer, as it accelerates our understanding of and action around targeted cancer treatments," said Dr. Philip Branton, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Cancer.
DCA and Cancer Patients
The University of Alberta's DCA Research Team is set to launch clinical trials on humans in the spring of 2007 pending government approval. Knowing that thousands of cancer patients die weekly while waiting for a cure, Dr. Michelakis and his team are working at accelerated speed, condensing research that usually takes years into months. Fundraisers at the University of Alberta are determined to raise the money to allow this next phase of research to begin. Once Health Canada grants formal approval, the University of Alberta's Research Team will begin testing DCA on patients living with cancer. Results with regards to the safety and efficacy of treatment should be known late this year.

"If there were a magic bullet, though, it might be something like dichloroacetate, or DCA..."
Newsweek, January 23, 2007

Over 4 years old.

Tar.Aldarion

so i take it it doesnt work?

amacachi

El Weirdo wrote: »

Here's the original research linked to in the OP's article.

Doesn't read like a scientific paper to me...

Yakult

Sorry guiz! didnt catch the date on that

Son Of A Vidic

Cancer is good for business, ya can't have a cure ffs! - now that's just bad for business.

Saila

"snakeoil, get your snakeoil"

NTMK

Aids has been cured also through stem cells
Link

It all about the money if you cure everything who is going to buy medicine

Agonist

Here's a few excerpts from http://www.dca.med.ualberta.ca/Home/Updates/2010-05-12_Update.cfm 2010

By extracting glioblastomas from 49 patients over a period of 2 years and studying them within minutes of removal in the operating room, the team showed that tumors respond to DCA by changing their metabolism. Then, the team treated 5 patients with advanced glioblastoma and secured tumor tissues before and after the DCA therapy. By comparing the two, the team showed that DCA works in these tumors exactly as was predicted by test tube experiments.
...
In the 5 patients tested, the drug took 3 months to reach blood levels high enough to alter the tumor's metabolism. At those levels, there were no significant adverse effects.
...
Importantly, in some patients there was also evidence for clinical benefit, with the tumors either regressing in size or not growing further during the 18 month study.

No conclusions can be made on whether the drug is safe or effective in patients with this form of brain cancer, due to the limited number of patients tested by the study's leads
...
One of the intriguing features of this work was that it was funded largely by public donations, including philanthropic foundations and individuals

Sounds very interesting.

amacachi

No conclusions can be made on whether the drug is safe or effective in patients with this form of brain cancer, due to the limited number of patients tested by the study's leads

:eek:

Also it seems it was on a single cancer type.


Since everyone's saying it's all about money can I ask why they don't go ahead and start a business in it? Surely a bank or Dragons' Den would jump on the opportunity to support such an initiative.


Wait a second... Dragons... Lizards! It's all so clear now!

Agonist

amacachi wrote: »

:eek:

Also it seems it was on a single cancer type.


Since everyone's saying it's all about money can I ask why they don't go ahead and start a business in it? Surely a bank or Dragons' Den would jump on the opportunity to support such an initiative.


Wait a second... Dragons... Lizards! It's all so clear now!

Because you can't patent the cure. There's no money to be made from selling it. There should be a few careers to be made from it by publishing breakthrough scientific papers. Not sure why there aren't more of them.

amacachi

Agonist wrote: »

Because you can't patent the cure. There's no money to be made from selling it. There should be a few careers to be made from it by publishing breakthrough scientific papers. Not sure why there aren't more of them.

Suppose I had cancer. And there's a guaranteed cure. I don't have the facilities to produce it so I can't access it. However if some kind-hearted person with no links to big pharma started mass-producing it they could sell it to someone like me and make a profit.

Coriolanus

This isn't how it will happen at all anyway.

If/when someone does cure cancer, they'll approach the big pharma companies.

If the pharma co thinks the process has a chance of working, they'll throw so much money at the researchers that they'll willingly sign NDAs.

Pharma Co will work on a way to make the process patentable for a couple of years.

Seek and recieve patent, release drug/treatment onto the market. Make bazillions.

amacachi

Nevore wrote: »

This isn't how it will happen at all anyway.

If/when someone does cure cancer, they'll approach the big pharma companies.

If the pharma co thinks the process has a chance of working, they'll throw so much money at the researchers that they'll willingly sign NDAs.

Pharma Co will work on a way to make the process patentable for a couple of years.

Seek and recieve patent, release drug/treatment onto the market. Make bazillions.

But the product in question can't be patentable. They can come up with a more complex way of producing it which would patentable but the product wouldn't be.

unknownlegend

There must be some scientific backing/truth to it? Scientists can't come out with claims like this and not have evidence - their credibility would be shot to ribbons and they'd have to look into a new career fairly pronto!

Coriolanus

amacachi wrote: »

But the product in question can't be patentable. They can come up with a more complex way of producing it which would patentable but the product wouldn't be.

If they find a reliable but more complex way of producing it that is patentable, and they get that patent, and bring it to the market before anyone brings the original form to market, then no one will be able to do it with the altered version in patent because it would count as a derivative of their product. Whether the original is patentable or not is irrelevant, since it's which is brought to market first which determines what can be done.
Or maybe I'm wrong about that, but tbh, patent or not, there'd be money to be made selling it so I can't see any pharma co turning down a viable cure that researchers dug up.

opinion guy

TimmyMallett wrote: »

the article seems to be over 4 years old (going on the comments).

The greater argument at the heart of the article is still very vaild though - how can the brains in the world that are capable of putting man into space have not yet found a cure for cancer or AIDS?

Putting a man on the moon is realteively speaking easy. Curing cancer or AIDS is f**king hard.....asssuming tis even possible

Glenster

"Man posts in AH, but no one takes notice"

RRaff

Bit of an update. http://texascancertreatments.com/2011/05/07/dichloroacetate-dca-cure-for-cancer/
If it does work I hope it doesn't get blocked by some pharma company putting pressure on the FDA much like whats happening with the electronic cigarette! They are of the opinion that if they can't make money from it no one can and it should be done away with!

Jesus Wept

I see a story every 6 months saying cancer has been cured, they wash over me.

Piste

TimmyMallett wrote: »

the article seems to be over 4 years old (going on the comments).

The greater argument at the heart of the article is still very vaild though - how can the brains in the world that are capable of putting man into space have not yet found a cure for cancer or AIDS?

Because "cancer" isn't a single disease, there are so many different types that "curing cancer" is just a catch all term that means curing hundreds of illnesses at once. A lot of cancers are cureable anyway.

smk89

unknownlegend wrote: »

There must be some scientific backing/truth to it? Scientists can't come out with claims like this and not have evidence - their credibility would be shot to ribbons and they'd have to look into a new career fairly pronto!

You've never been to a pharma free lunch! Come for the sandwiches, stay for the free USB keys and lies about their drugs

OutlawPete

Captain_Generic wrote: »

That article is at least 4 years old..

Yeah, remember seeing a ton of YouTube vids on it, here's just a few of 'em:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7y9PO-qAoQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftnNU70dSPs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH0BJKC_LLw

amacachi

Bit of reading around, 2 of the 5 patients in the original study improved, 2 had no change and one died.
Also apparently it appears to promote tumour growth in some cases in mice.

partyatmygaff

I stopped reading after...
In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria, but they need to be triggered to be effective.

I really hope that was just a typo.

cesc77

opinion guy wrote: »

Putting a man on the moon is realteively speaking easy. Curing cancer or AIDS is f**king hard.....asssuming tis even possible

Yoda says "wtf?", and "a strong coffee I recommend"

Coriolanus

cesc77 wrote: »

Yoda says "wtf?", and "a strong coffee I recommend"

They did it forty odd years ago, the computing power in the moon lander was less than a late nineties mobile phone and the combined computing power of the entire ground control would be outstripped by a ps3.

wil

if only cancer were so simple.
Unfortunately it is thousands of diseases, some respond easily to simple treatments some dont.

This sort of bunkum gets cited for the reason behind every hokum cure not being properly investigated.

cesc77

Nevore wrote: »

They did it forty odd years ago, the computing power in the moon lander was less than a late nineties mobile phone and the combined computing power of the entire ground control would be outstripped by a ps3.

Tangents I do not like going off on.

I refer to the shizzle above ...that cancer and aids are ****ing hard to cure.This cracka is smashoed.:pac:

Coriolanus

cesc77 wrote: »

Tangents I do not like going off on.

I refer to the shizzle above ...that cancer and aids are ****ing hard to cure.This cracka is smashoed.:pac:

Oh, sorry. I thought you meant that "if they could fly to the moon, surely they should be able to cure cancer".

OutlawPete

This guy appears to be the flavour of the month when it comes to alternative cancer treatments. Basically he says cancer works like fungus/ is a a fungus and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is the cure. He gets a standing ovation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FirtXuH5A5s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTy-z1DT6Zg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEU5ZRPL6bM

smk89

Nevore wrote: »

They did it forty odd years ago, the computing power in the moon lander was less than a late nineties mobile phone and the combined computing power of the entire ground control would be outstripped by a ps3.

The human body has 2 million proteins of which only a handful are understood, let alone cataloged. And even though the human genome project has been completed it will still take 600 years at the present rate to understand how genes work.
Cancer is like data corruption in computers, a side effect of how they work. And no matter how hard the correction method it will always be there.

Coriolanus

smk89 wrote: »

The human body has 2 million proteins of which only a handful are understood, let alone cataloged. And even though the human genome project has been completed it will still take 600 years at the present rate to understand how genes work.
Cancer is like data corruption in computers, a side effect of how they work. And no matter how hard the correction method it will always be there.

I'm not the one saying that it should be easy to cure cancer?

pragmatic1

smk89 wrote: »

The human body has 2 million proteins of which only a handful are understood, let alone cataloged. And even though the human genome project has been completed it will still take 600 years at the present rate to understand how genes work.
Cancer is like data corruption in computers, a side effect of how they work. And no matter how hard the correction method it will always be there.

People said the same thing about the human genome project. I'd be more optimistic. You're right about cancer though, its just a natural biological process. There is no cure all.

gamgsam

The onset of a cancer can be triggered by more than just the mitochondrial pathway. Cancer is a very wide term describing mostly manifestation. It is loosely described as uncontrolled growth of cells. This can arise form excess growth stimulus, aberrant activation of growth effectors, inhibition of apoptosis, via tumour supression genes and oncogenes.

The specific pathology in each case is complex and unique to the form of cancer. It follows that there id no cure to cancer. Cancer encompasses so many pathologies that the cure of cancer is impossible.

For clarification, PM me.

GLaDOS

In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria

That is comedy gold

The specific pathology in each case is complex and unique to the form of cancer. It follows that there id no cure to cancer. Cancer encompasses so many pathologies that the cure of cancer is impossible.

This is true, cancer is a catch all term, there is no single "cancer"