Re: Genetically engineered micro-organisms to fight disease?

From: klsk (laksdjk_at_jasjh.com)
Date: 07/05/04 

Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 20:21:55 +0300

bae@cs.toronto.no-uce.edu.yyz wrote:

[snip]
>>I was thinking along the lines of creating a micro-organism (virus, bacteria,
>>phage whatever) that homes in on cancer cells or whatever and destroys it. I
>>assume changing ones own gene is more difficult and carries more risk.
>
>If only it were so easy to distinguish a patient's cancer cells from
>his normal cells! This is the goal of chemotherapy and other methods,
>especially the extensive efforts to develop immunotherapies for
>cancer. Immunotherapy, in which the patient's immune system is induced
>to attack the cancer, is very promising, but it's been promising for a
>long time, and never seems to get out of clinical trials. The immune
>system is capable of being exquisitely tuned to identify molecular
>markers, far more than any microorganism could be. There's substantial
>evidence that the immune system normally recognizes cancer cells and
>extirpates them, and it's only when this mechanism fails that the cancer
>can develop. Spontaneous remissions are rare but real, and one theory
>is that the immune system suddenly recognizes the abnormal cells and
>attacks them. Immunotherapies try to induce this mechanism.
[snip]

>From what I gather from diabetes (a family member has it, hence my interest) the
immune system for some reason begins to think beta cells are foreign and attacks
them.
While reason for it is not known it is assumed that a viral infection somehow
changes some "protein lining" (I'm not sure what it was called) in the betacells
making them look foreign. Other reasons are assumed also. Current research is
looking for ways to change this.
What if other cells have a similar structure and in same ways vulnerable. Could a
virus be designed to induce cancer cell attack in the same way beta cells are
attacked? It is also believed that when new betacell grow they are attacked and
destroyed. Some diabetics have minuscule insulin production. So the immune system
has developed an immunity against it own body (unfortunately). Could there be a
way to create a similar immunity to cancer cells.

Just trying to bring up ideas. Like I posted previously treatment research that
fails for one ailment may suprisingly benefit another.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Genetically engineered micro-organisms to fight disease?
    ... >>phage whatever) that homes in on cancer cells or whatever and destroys it. ... in which the patient's immune system is induced ... virus be designed to induce cancer cell attack in the same way beta cells are ...
    (sci.med.diseases.cancer)
  • Re: WOT: Healthcare! Healthcare! More! More!
    ... Jill Brickman wrote: ... Our immune system attacks them, breaks them down, and flushes them away. ... Taking a lot of medications can negatively impact the immune system which may lead to cancer cells growing without being removed. ... Overactive immune systems bring a whole 'nother set of problems - sometimes it results in spontaneous abortion as the fetus is seen as a "foreign" or rogue cell. ...
    (rec.arts.mystery)
  • Re: Questions: Angiogenesis in Cancer
    ... "The really hard part is that a cancer isn't like an infection. ... getting cancer cells encapsuled in tumor, indicate that immune system ... Otherwise why tumor formation will take place? ...
    (sci.med)
  • Re: Questions: Angiogenesis in Cancer
    ... "The really hard part is that a cancer isn't like an infection. ... getting cancer cells encapsuled in tumor, indicate that immune system ... Otherwise why tumor formation will take place? ...
    (sci.med)
  • Questions: Angiogenesis in Cancer
    ... I have following thoughts about Angiogenesis & request you to awnser ... When cancer is in tumor stage it is considered that cancer cell can ... But when our immune system couldn't handle these due to ... when it can handle/kill thise cancer cells. ...
    (sci.med)