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b_b  ·  3964 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Show me a new idea

    I was talking to a pair of immunologists tonight about how the immune system might be used to fight cancer, since cancer "turns off" the immune system's ability to fight cancerous cells. This is not exactly a new idea, but exciting explorations are being made in how to use the existing human body in different ways to counter and even prevent diseases that are considered scourges.

That shit will blow your mind. The interaction between the immune system and any disease is pretty incredible, but when it comes to 'fighting' your own cells--as is the case in cancer--it's a whole new level of weird. My personal hope is that immunology is the key to a good cancer fighting strategy (if there is such a thing as a generic cancer fighting strategy, as 'cancer' isn't in any way a singular disease). The way we treat cancer now is barbaric and simple, but sadly, it's the best we currently have.