When WE try to kill them with chemotherapy and radiation, it results in tough times for the patient. How much easier it would be if we could persuade them to commit suicide. Well, researchers have devised a protein "switch" that instructs cancer cells to produce their own anti-cancer medication.
The goal is to deploy a new type of weapon that causes cancer cells to self-destruct while sparing healthy tissue. In lab tests, the researchers showed that these switches, working from inside the cells, can activate a powerful cell-killing drug when the device detects a marker linked to cancer. Although the switches have not yet been tested on human patients, and much more testing must be done, the researchers say they have taken a positive first step toward adding a novel weapon to the difficult task of treating cancer.
Biomolecular engineer Marc Ostermeier says, "The switch in effect turns the cancer cell into a factory for producing the anti-cancer drug inside the cancer cell. Our hope is that this strategy will kill more cancer cells while decreasing the unfortunate side effects on healthy cells."
What a wonderful gift that would be for the future–at last, a cure for cancer! Here’s something else wonderful that’s coming up in the future: A sequel to "Communion" by Whitley Strieber, coming your way in January (and subscribers can listen to the first chapter RIGHT NOW)! And if your old copy of "Communion" is worn and tattered, you can get a brand new one from the Whitley Strieber Collection–and it comes with an autographed bookplate designed by Whitley.
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