cancer-resistant mouse discovered. Yes, really!

[Lani]

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/uok-cmd112607.php

[Lani]

Pmid: 17909035

[Jean]

Lani,
in a study such as this when would trials begin on humans? How many years out?

Thx,
Jean

[Lani]

or thirty years and only this year is really seeing any success in very few cases in a few diseases.

If the therapy can be done epigenetically(by altering methylation or acetylation of genes or histones) with drugs already in development or already approved, I would guess less than five years (but what do I know?)

I need to read further into this...

[Lani]

the question is if you need to destroy the host bone marrow first (fraught with lots of complications) and what type of graft vs host disease might develop
madubois is an expert on that, it seems!

[Lani]

ovum of a human and then see how the next generations come out, I think it will take a long time --lots of ethical questions, paperwork, etc involved

let alone the question of it would work

[Lani]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7116675.stm

[madubois63]

Hate to be the resident expert on complications from a bone marrow transplant, but I guess I am. The liver failure 7 months after the transplant had me very close to death. Is it worth the risk?? Who knows...Destroying the immune system for a transplant is very different than having a compromised immune system from chemo. I've been in both situations. Neither is easy, but I'd have to pick chemo over the transplant anytime. A woman died in the ward the same week I had my transplant. Not everyone is able to make it through. Another woman (who happened to be one of my clients from my past life) died from the graft vs host disease. It is a very serious situation/decision to make. The isolation is difficult and it is very hard on the family too. After 2 months in the hospital, my kids couldn't have friends over, no hugs and kisses...many things we all take for granted. No raw foods, no baths or swimming pools, no crowds for me...I'll read the article later, but this is just my 2 cents on transplant.

[Jade]

"SUPERMOUSE" !! Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!

[madubois63]

I just read the article twice just to be sure I got it right. Although Rangnekar had family that has suffered through cancer, it seems to me that this person has never visited or talked to anyone that received a bone marrow transplant. To me, it seems like he is saying a bmt with the Par-4 gene will be easier than chemo??? PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG. If my post above doesn't explain how "EASY" the bmt was, and you haven't followed my story over the last 2 years, e-mail me and I'll tell you. I am all for a cure, but I do think this guy needs to do a LOT more research and find a better way to introduce the Par4 gene in to the body...

[Joan M]

I work with a woman who was diagnosed at stage IV and had a bone marrow transplant six years ago, and she's still free of breast cancer.

However, she has known other woman who did not make it, and it seems they stopped doing it at Dana Farber because of death due to complications.

She had her transplant done at Tufts.

[Joanne S]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44266000/jpg/_44266395_mouse_cred203.jpg
She even looks happy!
I wonder if she was HER2 positive.
Very interesting article.
Could it be possible this will it be available for us in our lifetime?
================================================== =
"We are thinking of this as a holistic approach that not only would get rid of the tumour, but not harm the organism as a whole."
Dr Vivek Rangnekar
University of Kentucky
----------------------------------------------------------------------


"It's important to remember that this work has only been done using genetically engineered mice, and more research is needed before we'll know if it can be translated to humans." <!-- E BO -->

[madubois63]

8 or 10 years ago, some oncologists were using Autologous (using the patients own stem cells) bone marrow transplants as a first line treatment for inflammatory bc. They found that many of the patients didn't do so well. Like Joan, I have a friend that survived and has been cancer free 10 years now. But she is one of the very few that made it. When I was diagnosed with IBC, transplant was not an option. When I relapsed, I looked in to getting a transplant and was told by several hopsitals that I wasn't eligable. It was exlained to me yesterday (and my sive mind has already forgotten most of the details) why they do not use transplant for bc but for leukemia. It has something to do with the graft (the new tranplanted cells) verses disease effect that happens. The graft doesn't attack solid tumors that occur with bc. In leukemia, the cancer is of the blood and the blood is pretty much being replaced. Reactivating graft verses host disease in order to fight my latest relapse of bc was thrown out there as an idea for treatment, but it is VERY dangerous because I already had severe gvh of the liver (that almost killed me). I just don't see this method as being an "easy" treatment for bc. I repeat, introducing the Par4 gene in to the system may be the answer to a cure, but the method of introducing it in to the system really needs to be rethought. Nothing about bc treatments are easy, but in my opinion leukemia treatments are much more difficult and dangerous. I understand that this is all prliminary, but I just wouldn't put my faith in to this as being the cure at least not in our lifetime. JMO

[Joan M]

Cute mouse.

Maryann, I think you're doing really well considering the course of your breast cancer. Hang in there!