[Dr. Frank fan]

"If we can come up with ways of delivering these particles to the cancer cells, but not to normal cells," Curley said, "this treatment will work. There's not a doubt in my mind. Any kind of cancer, anywhere in the body!"

Um, if you can come up with ways of delivering X to the cancer cells, but not to normal cells, then (more or less) the treatment X will work, if X = something bad for cells. Any kind of cancer, anywhere in the body.

Seems to me the trick is getting X only to the cancer cells. It's hard to get radiation only to cancer cells without also going through & hitting normal cells. Chemo, same thing. Here, it's not described well but it sounds like the idea is to engineer nanoparticles that "tag" only cancer cells so as to make them respond (resonate?) to certain RF frequency, which will kill those cells preferentially but not others.

Great, but how does one do that? How close are they to doing that? Is it even possible? How? Nothing in this article gives me any idea how close or far, how plausible or remote a possibility the "tagging" part is. And seems to me that's the main part!

Anyone could come up with a treatment that will work "if you can just get it to the cancer cells and not to the normal cells". If I could just get fire to cancer cells and not to normal cells, I'd have a cure for cancer! But that's hard.

[Paved Paradise]

Regarding your last paragraph, that’s why I’m asking the praying Freepers on here to PRAY for this guy and the research. This is the best news I’ve heard in a while.

I keep up on this stuff since my mom got cancer and we’ll find out tomorrow if it’s spread to another area of the body.

Heck, most of my deceased relatives died from cancer at a fairly early age so I’m really interested in anything that might stop it.

[Blueflag]

I’m with you. If we could just get ALL treatments to locate, bind with and kill ONLY the cancer cells, we’d be in good shape.

Interesting stuff nonetheless.

So, once these nanoparticles are in the body, how if ever are they excreted? Where do they go, even if it’s AFTER they help kill the cancer cells?

[Texaspeptoman]

You may be an MD so this info could be old hat for you, but for others....here’s is a reference to the practice of radiopharmacology. The practice of “tagging” has been around a long time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiopharmacology

[ArmstedFragg]

Great, but how does one do that?

I agree that the targeting is the hard part. Prostate cancer might be one of the first to be resolved. There's some specific antigens involved, and there's a lot of work going on to address exactly the selectivity issue you raised.

[GregoryFul]

Could it be that the nanoparticles are containers for the chemo agent, and that the RF energy opens up the nanoparticles? Focus the RF energy at the cancer site and deliver the dose only to the bad cells.

[NordP]

I always thought the reason cancer cells were so hard to get rid of was because they were able to mutate their way away from antibodies attacking just them. It seems that would make it really difficult to only get the cancer cells. They must have also found identity properties the cancer cells can't escape from sharing.

God Bless 'em and hurry!

[WildcatClan]

I think you have a very good take on things. I was skeptical myself, but it certainly sounds as if some highly credentialed professionals in the field are more than interested.

Like you, I would like to know more as this is very interesting. He seems to be determined to do this on his own so that may explain the lack of details. The article speaks in terms of “if it is possible”, but I think there is more to it and he may have perhaps dialed into efficacious RF and nano particles already.

If he hasn’t, then I just can’t see the optimism and excitement this has generated at one of the most prodigious Centers in the USA and perhaps the world. You have to think the best in the field at the University of Texas would have been more skeptical than we are at first. So, that may be a good indicator that he is on to something big. Let’s hope and pray.

[bvw]

Here’s how you do it. You induce mass hysteria. Sleepless mayors, excited chambers of commerce, big motorcycle rallies, stir up into a froth hope and local pride. All the mass support convinces the cancer cells they are dead.

[ran20]

Anyone could come up with a treatment that will work "if you can just get it to the cancer cells and not to the normal cells". If I could just get fire to cancer cells and not to normal cells, I'd have a cure for cancer! But that's hard.

Thats the billion dollar question. I heard a couple years ago about a similiar idea, involving ultrasound I think. Or some other wave to trigger them the nano particles to heat up, killing the cell.

They were trying to engineer shapes onto the particle that would interact with the cells dendrites. They said cancer cells have their own unique dendrites. Although I would guess each type of cancer has different types of dendrites. However engineering such shapes is an nanotech challenge.. then figuring out how to manufacture in enough quantity to wipe out all the cells you want to kill.

Luckily our ability to engineer in the nano dimensions is increasing at a great pace.

[Aquinasfan]

Anyone could come up with a treatment that will work "if you can just get it to the cancer cells and not to the normal cells". If I could just get fire to cancer cells and not to normal cells, I'd have a cure for cancer! But that's hard.

You nailed it in #10. Inept reporting.