Cancer Breakthrough! Drug Compound Identified That Kills Cancer Stem Cells

Bloomberg.com:

A drug that can selectively target and kill the stem cells that drive the growth of tumors has been identified for the first time by scientists who searched more than 16,000 compounds to find it.

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Institute looked for compounds that could destroy the stem cells, which often resist conventional cancer treatment. One, salinomycin, cut the number of stem cells at least 100 times more than did Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Taxol, a common chemotherapy medicine, according to a report on the findings published today in the journal Cell.

Read the whole story: Bloomberg.com

Comments

[slaxx]

10:30 PM on 08/14/2009

it must be a big pharma conspiracy. nothing good ever happens or comes out of anything. no point in hoping or dreaming or trying to make a difference for the better. we are all selfish and greedy. goodbye cruel world.

[Leatherhelmet]

07:34 PM on 08/14/2009

Don't get excited Grandma, you can't have it.

[FogBelter]

07:29 PM on 08/14/2009

I never realized that Bloomberg was a peer reviewed Medical Journal like The Lancet ... who knew?

[JohnFromCensornati]

04:40 PM on 08/14/2009

Side effects include difficulty breathing, crippling arthritis, nause@, v0mitting, and on rare occasions, sudden de@th. Ask your doctor if salinomycin is right for you.

[minimalist syntax]

04:44 PM on 08/14/2009

Do you know there is something called the nocebo effect? It is the inverse of the placebo effect. http://harvardmagazine.com/2005/05/the-nocebo-effect.html
Some people feel worse after taking certain medicines (even when they are placebos that they think are the real medicines) because they expect certain side effects.

[JohnFromCensornati]

04:46 PM on 08/14/2009

No, but my father went through several clinical trials for c@ncer. I'm not a big fan. It's ins@nity IMO.

[bigsioux]

03:42 PM on 08/14/2009

Has Sarah Palin twittered her opposition to curing cancer yet?

[MadHeart]

03:44 PM on 08/14/2009

Faved.

[dennisrs]

06:36 PM on 08/14/2009

What does Faved mean Madheart? It is in your post.

[who38]

04:01 PM on 08/14/2009

LMAOF. Thanks, CH.

[minimalist syntax]

03:29 PM on 08/14/2009

To all the conspiracy theory posters accusing cancer researchers of being unethical scientists, hiding the cure from cancer from the world, you do a disservice to the reality and the future of real medical breakthroughs in this country. Independent medical research is funded through organizations like the NIH, NCI, etc. Those are funded by the government. Blame the 8 Bush years for slashing funding to these agencies that are independent of the pharmaceutical corporations so that research monies for medical research was almost non-existent. Honestly, some of the accusations being made here about cancer researchers are as ignorant as the birther and deather accusations.

[JohnFromCensornati]

04:34 PM on 08/14/2009

Why do you think Je$u$ told George W to do that?

[minimalist syntax]

04:40 PM on 08/14/2009

LOL. Ask Frank Schaeffer.

[MalloMel]

04:43 PM on 08/14/2009

Again, I am not accusing cancer researchers. I am accusing patent holders who sell out to big pharma. I haven't read All of the posts here going back to the beginning, but I think that most here might feel the same.

Big pharma is buying the patents, not buying the researchers. Now, tell me again about your husband who has this patent that he can't make any money off of, and how he can't be bought off. Could it be because the patent is worthless? Watcha think?

[minimalist syntax]

05:16 PM on 08/14/2009

My husband came home from lunch right now and I told him about some of the things you were asserting, especially that cancer researchers were concealing result from their research to make more money and he laughed and said it reminded him of what he heard in his village in Greece when he went home this summer. Namely, many of the villagers were convinced that Pharmaceutical companies had invented the Swine Flu so that they could make money off of the medication for it.

[fumes]

02:34 PM on 08/14/2009

bravo mit!!!

[KayWrites]

02:21 PM on 08/14/2009

Let's just count this as good news and hold onto it. We will need the good feeling of this to inspire us in the days and weeks to come as we fight for the right of even Republicans to get good effective cancer treatment.

[oldrwizr]

02:16 PM on 08/14/2009

I am sure that all of those people who were against stem cell research will refuse treatment with this, right?

[Alarmist]

02:32 PM on 08/14/2009

Every wingnut fighting against stem cell research should decline this life-saving treatment for themselves and their loved ones. If they use it, they are advocating it.

But they have the memory span of a fruit fly, and soon, they will be lining up for the meds, but fighting to make sure the poor and uninsured don't get any access to this medicine.

[CptKendrick]

02:00 PM on 08/14/2009

Good news...this could be a huge medical breakthrough that saves many lives.

Bad news...unless we win out over the a$$clowns protesting health care reform, most of those lives that
are saved will be those with wealth.

[minimalist syntax]

01:49 PM on 08/14/2009

I hope this leads to real breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

[MalloMel]

01:59 PM on 08/14/2009

It's OK as long as it is not CURE for cancer. We wouldn't want to kill the calf that laid the golden egg, now would we?

[minimalist syntax]

02:11 PM on 08/14/2009

My husband does genetic statistics in an epidemiology department, where they specialize in looking at breast and colon cancer. The biggest strides to this day are in early detection--in this way great strides have been made in prevention. It is probably best to be cautious at interpreting findings in cancer research.

[chickenNgravy]

02:25 PM on 08/14/2009

That's such a malicious statement.
To imply that that tens of thousands of medical and cancer researchers would hide the CURE for cancer to make a few bucks for their bosses way over the top.
If you are ever diagnosed with cancer, just head straight across the border for a peach pit infusion.

[CaptSmash]

01:46 PM on 08/14/2009

Evgeryone needs to pull there head out ,and wake up. Do you think for one minute that the insurance and Big Pharma industry would let any cure for cancer some out snd be used.

Give me a Freakin Break they can't make money with cures. Get a clue America!

[dennisrs]

05:58 PM on 08/14/2009

How would they stop the news of the cure CaptSmash kill all Scientist, Doctors, the lab workers and all the others involved man. I ain't Dr Frankenstein in a remote Castle developing this things it's a big team effort.

[slaxx]

10:32 PM on 08/14/2009

patents last for 7 years. that's a lot of time to make $$. not to mention that some people do have consciences.

how would this effect insurance co's anyway?

[GreedyOleParty]

01:44 PM on 08/14/2009

What about cancer cells rights? Don't they have a right to live?

[MalloMel]

02:27 PM on 08/14/2009

Don't give the Fundies any big ideas. We have enough trouble as it is.

[dennisrs]

06:00 PM on 08/14/2009

No they rate right up there with serial killers and pedo-killers! Damn spell checker is driving me crazy!

[dennisrs]

05:59 PM on 08/14/2009

Know they rate right up there with serial killers and pedo-killers!

[captaindoug]

01:42 PM on 08/14/2009

both parties have been horrible at allocating money to find a cure for this horrible disease. We should be attacking cancer like a "man to the moon" initiative. cancer is horrible and effects so many lives.

[minimalist syntax]

02:12 PM on 08/14/2009

The previous 8 years were a full on assault against funding academic research. Even in medicine.

[dennisrs]

06:04 PM on 08/14/2009

Prove that minimalist - they (Bush) didn't want the government sponsoring Fetal Stem cells beyond the ones already in use. Others were free to use the stems with their own money. I don't recall any other medical research that was prohibited or de-funded. Except I am sure in any a-b-r-t-i n stuff.

[opine2u]

01:19 PM on 08/14/2009

Salinomycin suppliers: China - Guess where most of our money will still go - China.

China is not only cleaning up on the financial front, they are cleaning up on the chemical front.

http://www.chemblink.com/productSuppliers/53003-10-4_suppliers.htm

[dennisrs]

06:05 PM on 08/14/2009

Heck the dog food from China isn't safe how can I trust a vaccine made there.