Possible simple cure for cancer, pharmaceutical companies not interested

Soldato
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Canadian researchers find a simple cure for cancer, but major pharmaceutical companies are not interested.

Researchers at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada have cured cancer last week, yet there is a little ripple in the news or in TV. It is a simple technique using very basic drug. The method employs dichloroacetate, which is currently used to treat metabolic disorders. So, there is no concern of side effects or about their long term effects.

This drug doesn’t require a patent, so anyone can employ it widely and cheaply compared to the costly cancer drugs produced by major pharmaceutical companies.

Canadian scientists tested this dichloroacetate (DCA) on human’s cells; it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells and left the healthy cells alone. It was tested on Rats inflicted with severe tumors; their cells shrank when they were fed with water supplemented with DCA. The drug is widely available and the technique is easy to use, why the major drug companies are not involved? Or the Media interested in this find?

http://hubpages.com/hub/Scientists_cure_cancer__but_no_one_takes_notice

Not sure if this is genuine or hyped up, could be amazing if true. Alberta uni page:

http://www.dca.med.ualberta.ca/Home/index.cfm

Article published in Science:

http://www.dca.med.ualberta.ca/Home/Media/articles/stke.pdf
 
Soldato
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Yeah purely on the potential benefits to humanity you think this would garner more attention/funding, everybody knows someone who has cancer or has died from cancer. Must be missing something, not sure what though.
 
Soldato
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Here's the paper the article in science is based on:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WWK-4MV1J7C-4&_user=144535&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor&view=c&_acct=C000012058&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=144535&md5=a8961c1dd418f69bf7bba61d84de1d65&searchtype=a

Interesting picture of a DCA treated tumour and control on page 11.

The scienceblogs article was an interesting read, makes it sound less like a miracle drug but still promising. I think the point still stands that it needs more attention.
 
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