People want to know."Sharing the Health: Cells from unusual mice make others cancerfree" (SN: 5/13/06, p. 292) reported that years ago it was discovered that certain male mice eradicate cancer cells cells once believed to be peculiar to cancers, but now know to be epithelial cells differing in no respect from those found elsewhere in the body, and distinguished only by peculiarity of location and grouping. See also: Cancer and that white blood cells White blood cells A group of several cell types that occur in the bloodstream and are essential for a properly functioning immune system. Mentioned in: Abscess Incision & Drainage, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Complement Deficiencies from these mice make normal mice cancer resistant. It also reported that it is super-premature to look forward to clinical applications. It would seem that aggressive searches for remission of cancer in humans with the use of white blood cell transplants should be undertaken ASAP (chat) asap - As soon as possible. . WILLIAM J. SCHINDELE, THOUSAND OAKS Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , CALIF. I was very surprised that I could only find two research articles in PubMed on these cancer-resistant/spontaneous-regression mice, including the original description of the mice in 2003 and the recently published article. Considering the importance of the discovery, it is remarkable that so little has been published in 3 years. ADAM SHAPIRO, WELLESLEY, MASS. If the researchers injected the animals with cancer cells, how are they sure that the mice are resistant to cancer cells and not just superresistant to foreign cells? Wouldn't the true test be to challenge the mice with cancer-causing chemicals and/or radiation? TOM HARRISON, SUNNYVALE, CALIF. Researcher Mark Willingham of Wake Forest University answers that several pieces of evidence come to bear on this question. Many of the cancer cells lack markers of foreignness" to the mice. The cells get a response from parts of the immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. that don't depend on these markers. The immune response immune response n. An integrated bodily response to an antigen, especially one mediated by lymphocytes and involving recognition of antigens by specific antibodies or previously sensitized lymphocytes. in the mice is much faster than the one geared to foreignness. The cancer resistance can be transferred to mice engineered to not have an immune response to foreign cells.--C. BROWNLEE |
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