A cure for cancer!

[JSMosby]

There is a form of cancer called Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETS) that affects thousands of people. Steve Jobs died from NETS one year ago today. There may be a cure!

If you wonder why I am actively promoting this cause and trying to raise awareness (and funds), it's because I have a close friend who was recently diagnosed with the disease. Please feel free to read her story here - Let's Cure Neuroendocrine Cancer (http://netcure.weebly.com/)

Here is the skinny -

A couple of scientists in Sweden, may have found a cure through an engineered virus. However, since they published their findings in public medical journals, they can not get a patent. That said, investors do not see this as profitable. They need $1,000,000 to start Phase 1 Human Trials. Their only hope, thus the only hope of the thousands of people with this disease, is "crowdfunding."

Please take the time to watch this video - iCancer Campaign (http://icancer.org.uk/) - and please help me spread the word. I am not asking you for anything other than to follow your hearts, donate (or don't) as you feel you can, and please please spread the word. We are actively pushing this over Facebook, Twitter, and other social media venues, we have reached out to the media (as of yet, they do not feel this is a compelling story), and have brainstormed a variety of fundraisers. If you do feel compelled to donate to this incredible cause, please make a contribution to Catherine Cooling Davis.

Sometimes it seems like none of us can really make a difference in the world. Here is a chance to be a part of something really big. Please spread the word on your facebook pages, your twitter accounts, around your offices, with friends and family, or with total strangers.

De Oppresso Liber could not be a more fitting phrase for what we are trying to do!

[Wiseman]

I think it would be helpful to see the background and publications of the professor via this link

http://www.igp.uu.se/research/clinical_immunology/magnus_essand/contact/

[PedOncoDoc]

A couple of scientists in Sweden, may have found a cure through an engineered virus. However, since they published their findings in public medical journals, they can not get a patent. That said, investors do not see this as profitable. They need $1,000,000 to start Phase 1 Human Trials. Their only hope, thus the only hope of the thousands of people with this disease, is "crowdfunding."

Prayers out for your friend.

First things first - Researchers have become extremely adept at curing cancer in mice - most of the therapies that work in animal models do not translate into effective treatments for people, but one never knows if this will be the next great thing until it is tried. This is not the first anticancer virus to be tried in humans.

This is a novel approach to get funding for a study - I don't know the process for getting funding in Sweden, but this appeal to the general community is unusual.

Many cancer researchers try to work with industry when they think they have a potential novel treatment/cure for a type of cancer. Essand has been publishing cancer immunotherapy studies since 1994; his first oncolytic virus paper was from 2005. It sounds like Essand and his research group did not have the guidance from the university (or mentors) or the foresight to seek intellectual property rights on the oncolytic virus they've been working with. That sucks, but shouldn't be a road block to funding a first in humans (phase I) study.

Here in America, if industry doesn't bite on a sales pitch or the research team doesn't want to work with industry, many researchers create small start-up businesses to develop their drug/treatment and commercialize it (I've not had the opportunity to to this....yet.) They can often get federal start-up funds or find entrepreneurs to back them if their data is strong. My institution has a whole research core devoted to helping researchers create start-up companies for treatments developed here. If they don't want to create a start-up company and the drug/treatment can be made in sufficient amounts to treat 15-20 people, the researcher can seek federal or non-government philanthropic groups to get funds to run the phase I study - this also requires working with the FDA (or Swedish equivalent in this case) and other regulatory groups. Most universities have teams that help navigate federal regulatory processes because they have a vested interest in getting new treatments pushed through that are developed in within their walls.

If the phase I shows safety and some evidence of potential efficacy, I have a hard time believing a company wouldn't be interested in working with the research group for the phase II and phase III studies.

Again, I don't know how the processes work in Sweden or what events specifically led to this group appealing to the masses for funding, but this could be at the front end of a new trend of using the internet/mass media to appeal to the masses to directly fund a research lab. If successful, it will bypass the competitive application process for grant funds from ever shrinking sources of money. The science would be irrelevant as long as you had a good sales pitch.

Having said that, Essand has a strong publication record on cancer immunotherapy in high-impact journals - I'm surprised to see he is having difficulty getting funding through conventional routes.