Cure for Cancer in One Year?

Editor’s Note: The following is a blog written by a CURE contributor expressing her hopes and doubts about the potential “cure for cancer” an Israeli company claimed to be working on. Since the original story broke in The Jerusalem Post, the announcement has been widely criticized due to its use of inflammatory language and lack of published data to support the scientists’ claims. The views and opinions expressed by CURE contributors belong to the authors and should be viewed as such.

Since returning from a recent trip to Israel, I’ve developed a keen interest in Israeli news, especially in the field of medical research. Israeli scientists are top-notch. They seem to be interested in developing cutting-edge procedures and technologies. Yesterday, I read an article in the Jerusalem Post that really got my attention.

The article states Israeli scientists believe they’ve found the first complete cure for cancer. That’s an extremely bold statement to make and one I have a hard time believing, especially since I have firsthand experience with cancer. As wonderful as that news would be, if it turns out to be true, I can’t help but wonder if the world is ready for a cure for cancer. How would the world respond and how would a cure affect big pharmaceutical companies who make their livelihood selling cancer medications?

The scientists claim within one year, they’ll have the cure. Dan Aridor, the founder of Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies, Ltd. says, “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. Our solution will be both generic and personal.”

Since cancer is the second leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), this makes Aridor’s claim to produce a cure in the very near future difficult to believe.

The development of their new cancer-fighting drug relies on specialized DNA protein coding. The treatment is called multi-target toxin (MuTaTo). It works very similarly to the way an antibiotic works against bacteria. The process is very complicated and detailed but would offer a patient better treatment and less side effects. The MuTaTo treatment would not only focus on the original type of cancer in each patient, but also on any mutations that may occur. It promises to eradicate the cancer cells and prohibit them from recurring.

According to the Israeli scientists, each patient would supply a small portion of their biopsied tissue and an individualized “cocktail” would be created to target their specific cancer. The mixture would work fairly quickly and patients should be able to stop treatment in just a few weeks.

The possibility of a potential “complete cure” for cancer is very exciting. Even if it takes years before the public can receive the actual personalized treatments, it gives me great comfort to know the Israelis are working hard to find a cure for this devastating disease.

One of the things that we, as cancer survivors, hold on tightly to is hope. And we’ll take it any way we can get it. A cure would definitely be world changing, but is the world ready? Only time will tell. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this story and hope you will be, too.