FTA: In mice, when Dr. Isenberg and his team introduced a drug that prevented a protein, thrombospondin-1, from binding to a surface cell receptor called CD47, the animals could endure almost unheard-of doses of radiation with virtually no ill effects.
This is from late 2009. Does anyone have an update on this research? Would obviously be a great boon if it was equally effective in humans.
Very cool - thanks! Looks like the latest update is that "The CCR-NCI of the NIH recently recognized the work of Dr. Isenberg and collaborators in controlling radiation by CD47 blockade as one of the 'top science advances for 2010'". Nice to hear that the work is apparently regarded as credible. Hope to hear more about it soon!
It would be ironic if this therapy causes increased risk of cancer, for which chemotherapy then has little effect. Then again, if the resistance is temporary I imagine some workers in Fukushima might benefit from this once it's been demonstrated safe enough.
"Perhaps equally exciting, Dr. Isenberg and his team found that while his technique protected healthy cells from damage, it actually increased the effectiveness of radiation treatments on cancer cells."
This could also be due to the fact that CD47 blockade allows preferential phagocytosis of cancer cells by macrophages [1,2] so it might not be solely radiation sensitivity that is leading to the clearance of the tumor cells.
"safe enough" as in "safer than standard treatment". In their place, I'd prefer a taste for cheese and an overwhelming fear of cats to radiation sickness.
This is from late 2009. Does anyone have an update on this research? Would obviously be a great boon if it was equally effective in humans.