Innovative Treatments for Cancer

Cancer research is entering the 21st century with an almost sci-fi aura for us baby boomers. The things that used to thrill us when watching sci-fi movies as youngsters, are now becoming a reality. If we all live long enough, we may be able to experience treatments in cancer that will have the ability to make it a chronic disease (such as diabetes) or destroy it entirely. I am personally very excited about some of these developments. Keep your eyes on these projects:

» Nanotechnology is at the forefront of cancer research. Miniature devices are being designed and created to enter the human body to seek out and destroy disease. Researchers at Burnham Institute and U/C San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering have developed hybrid organic/inorganic machines that home to cancerous tissues in live mice. Researchers at the University of Stanford, US, have used single-walled carbon nanotubes and a laser to selectively destroy cancer cells. The modified nanotubes entered cancer cells and were heated by a near-infrared light beam, killing the cells. Read More and Nanoparticles Entering Trials

» Vaccine Therapy is being researched thoroughly at St George's Hospital Medical School in the United Kingdom under the direction of Professor Angus Dalgleish Bsc (Hons), MD. Recent research has been focused on dendritic cells. You can read more about cancer vaccines and his research at the UK Cancer Vaccine Institute's Website.

» NASA scientists have developed an ultrasensitive electronic DNA detector that senses tiny amounts of DNA. Carbon nanotubes are rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms; those the researchers used were 30 to 50 nanometers in diameter—about two orders of magnitude smaller than red blood cells. The detector could be used in practical applications within two years, according to the researchers. Read more about this at MIT Technology Review.

» Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, in LaJolla CA, are designing gene-tipped tumor regressors. Investigators have inserted a gene that shuts off the angiogenesis process, utilizing a 50-100 nanometer-sized particle. This technology selectively targets the cells that form new blood vessels. These blood vessels are necessary for the tumor to grow. Read more at The Scripps Research Institute

» Cryosurgery which is currently being used for liver, prostate, and ovarian cancers; may soon find a new use. Researchers at the U of Michigan are utilizing this technology in a clinical trial on breast cancer patients. You can read more about this technology and development at U of Michigan Health System

» Nanoparticles are being researched in the detection of cancer at Georgia Tech and Emory University. Biomedical scientist Shuming Nie is testing the use of nanoparticles called quantum dots to dramatically improve clinical diagnostic tests for the early detection of cancer. Read more about that at Georgia Institute of Technology

» Scientists at the University of Washington are doing research on molecular imaging to detect cancer before symptoms are evident, This process may help them find the most effective therapy for each individual. Read more Washington U in St. Louis

» Researchers at John Hopkins University "have discovered a biochemical clock that appears to play a crucial role in the way information is sent from the surface of a cell to its nucleus. These messages can cause the cell to thrive or commit suicide, and manipulating them could lead to new treatments for cancer and other diseases, the researchers say." Read more about this at Newswise SciNews

» Physicians at Sloan Kettering are using a combination of bland embolization, and radiofrequency ablation to treat people with liver cancer. They have discovered that this nonsurgical approach appears to be work as well as surgery.

You can use these links to free online journals, if you would like to keep up on new events in cancer research:

BioMed Central - list of free journals accessible on their site (free registration required)

Nature Cancer Update - receive email updates your preferences or browse (free registration).

You may want to read these articles and news items on recent types of research:

Genetics Today - an explanation.

Nanotechnology - an explanation of the technology.

Try these books at Amazon.com:

The Coming Cancer Breakthroughs by JF Dooley, PhD & M Betancourt

Progress in Oncology, 2002 by VT Devita, S Hellman (Ed), SA Rosenberg (Ed)