
Zika virus used to treat aggressive brain cancer in mice - ramzyo
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-41146628
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andy_ppp
What are the ethics of trying this in terminal patients? Surely I’d give it
punt and hope for the best should I ever have brain cancer and if not we’d all
learn something right? Why is it that we don’t treat terminally ill patients
the same way we treat DOA car accident victims and aim to give them the
opportunity to contribute?

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TCM
What about errors or changes in your diagnosis? John Bain (game review
youtuber) was diagnosed with Cancer and in 2015 his cancer was determined to
be uncurable. But, his diagnosis changed and now he is in remission again. See
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TotalBiscuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TotalBiscuit)

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dv_dt
I would think that part of an ethical protocol for testing would include a
frank discussion with each patient about the probabilities of various outcomes
and trading off actions in that landscape.

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eganist
This would seem to be the source:
[http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2017/09/05/jem.20171093](http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2017/09/05/jem.20171093)

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popopobobobo
Thanks for the source. I am always happy to see breakthroughs on bio medical
researches. I think the world has been over focused on web development and
neglecting the researches that could make real impacts.

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AdmiralAsshat
I've got a friend with stage four glioblastoma. I'd really love to be able to
sign him up for one of these trials. Unfortunately, the article says human
trials are 18 months away, and I doubt he will live that long.

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shazad
If your friend is in the United States it's worth reaching out to the
following places to see what options might be available for clinical trials or
treatment options. If these places are out of reach, at the very least, it's
worth looking for a nationally designated comprehensive cancer center with a
specialized brain tumor program where they'll have access to the newest
treatment options.

UCLA Brain Tumor Center:
[https://www.uclahealth.org/braintumor/default.cfm](https://www.uclahealth.org/braintumor/default.cfm)

Duke Tisch Brain Tumor Center:
[https://tischbraintumorcenter.duke.edu/](https://tischbraintumorcenter.duke.edu/)

UCSF Brain Tumor Center:
[http://neurosurgery.ucsf.edu/index.php/brain_tumor_center.ht...](http://neurosurgery.ucsf.edu/index.php/brain_tumor_center.html)

MD Anderson Brain and Spine Center: [https://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-
types/brain-tumor.html](https://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-types/brain-
tumor.html)

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hemancuso
I'd love for somebody to explain how you get a group of brain tumor-bearing
mice. Can one somehow prompt glioblastoma to occur in some meaningful
percentage of mice? I scanned the paper but found nothing.

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dogma1138
Usually through local exposure of carcinogens.

Want skin cancer? Rub a known causing carcinogen on a patch of skin daily,
want brain cancer? Probably injections or controlled exposure to radiation.

There is also a process of transplanting cancer cells (including from humans)
into hosts to grow tumors.

Lastly these days there is also mutagenesis (usually gene knockout) in embryos
and selective breeding and engineering for predisposition to cancer both
general and of specific types.

Overall it's likely a mixture of several methods depending on the exact
requirements; breeding mice which are predisposed to cancer by knocking out
genes that are known to suppress cancer or help the immune system effectively
battle it and then cellular transplant or carcinogenic exposure to cause
tumors in specific locations or specific types of cancer.

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_0ffh
"transplanting cancer cells"

This might be a stupid question, but wouldn't you have to use immunosuppressed
mice for that?

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dogma1138
Yes, mice are bread and engineered with suppressed immune systems and other
traits.

There are specific breeds of mice for specific experiments while they aren't
technically clones their genetic profile is very specific and their genetic
diversity is very reduced.

When you buy mice for research you get a very specific genetic profile many
labs today will customize it also for your needs lab mice and rats are not pet
store animals.

Institutions such as CIEA breed experimental animals with specific traits
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Institute_for_Experi...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Institute_for_Experimental_Animals)

This goes beyond simply knocking out genes for example transgenic mice and
other experimental animals are engineered with human genes that can for
example add cellular recptors that do not occur in those animals naturally to
test anti virals, vaccines and other drugs.

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sjg007
Makes a lot of sense. I hope it works! There are also current pediatric trials
using the measles virus.

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wyqydsyq
[https://media.giphy.com/media/PgSZU1Pb4553W/giphy.gif](https://media.giphy.com/media/PgSZU1Pb4553W/giphy.gif)

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jszymborski
Is this how we get a Handmaid's Tale / Children of Men infertility scenario?

