You probably know someone who has had cancer. Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with it yourself. Hearing a doctor tell you that you have the “C-word” is one of the most frightening experiences a person can have. But scientists in Israel say a cure for cancer is only a year away. Could it really be true?
According to the Jerusalem Post, a small team led by Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies CEO Ilan Morad has found what it refers to as a sort of “cancer antibiotic” – a treatment called MuTaTo (multi-target toxin) which uses a combination of cancer-targeting peptides and a toxin that specifically kills cancer cells.
Since MuTaTo kills cancer cells, patients could likely stop treatment after a few weeks and not need a drug cocktail throughout the rest of their lives.
Dan Aridor, the chairman of the company’s board, said:
“We believe we will offer in a year’s time a complete cure for cancer. Our cancer cure will be effective from Day One, will last a duration of a few weeks, and will have no or minimal side effects at a much lower cost than most other treatments on the market.”
The team has already completed its first exploratory experiment in mice with “promising results.” The treatment was found to inhibit cancer cell growth without affecting the mice’s healthy cells. The company will undertake the first clinical trials of the treatment soon, and expect the trials to be completed within “a few years.” Shortly thereafter, it could become available in specific cases.
Morad said his team made sure that the treatment cannot be affected by cancer cells that can mutate in such a way targeted receptors are dropped by the cancer. Researchers will be able to personalize the treatment to individual patients, as well.
The news is exciting, but the American Cancer Society (ACS) warns that it is too early and not enough about MuTaTo is known to embrace it as a true “cure” or even a viable treatment. [2]
“This is far from proven as an effective treatment for people with cancer, let alone a cure. The news report is based on limited information provided by researchers and this work apparently has not been published in scientific literature.”
There were 17 million new cancer cases in 2018, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and 9.5 million people died from cancer worldwide. The global cancer burden is expected to grow significantly by 2040, the ACS says. [1]
Sources:
[1] U.S. News & World Report
[2] CBS News Philadelphia