“Our cancer cure will be effective from day one.”
A group of scientists in Israel have stated their belief that their new research into cancer will result in a cure being produced within a year.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the team from Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies (AEBi) claims to use peptides, a chain of amino acids, to target and kill cancer cells.
The new drug, named MuTaTo, will apparently have zero side effects, and the company’s first primary target will reportedly be lung cancer, before moving on to other forms of cancer.
According to the Irish Cancer Society, there are more than 40,000 new cases of cancer or related tumours diagnosed in Ireland each year, and by the year 2020, one in every two people will develop a form of cancer in their lifetime*.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, the chairman of AEBi, Dan Aridor, had the following to say about the potential cure:
“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. Our solution will be both generic and personal.”
In the days that have followed the claim, many have doubted the results of the research, especially once The Times Of Israel reported that the CEO of the AEBi claimed that “it has not published its research in medical journals, as is the norm, because it ‘can’t afford’ to do so.”
A spokesperson for a healthcare portfolio market told CNBC that even if the cure is proven to be effective on humans, it could take up to seven years for it be made readily available to cancer patients in the United States, even with permission to speed along the drug’s development.
Meanwhile, the claims of the AEBi scientists have met with skepticism in many quarters. Doctor of Physics and cancer researcher David Robert Grimes, for example, has tweeted a series of statements about the new research:
“This deeply irresponsible and gullible [New York Post’s reporting of the story] on an imminent cure for cancer has done the rounds,” he said.
“It’s wrong on so many levels, but exemplifies some persistent misunderstandings. So here’s a short thread on why it’s nonsense – buckle in!
“Firstly, cancer isn’t a single disease. It’s an entire family of diseases, unified by the fact they arise from uncontrolled division of mutant cells. Every cancer is completely different, as is there prognosis & treatment. ‘Cancer’ is a class rather than specific illness.
“In practice that means a single ‘magic bullet’ cure for cancer is extraordinary unlikely. It’d be like expecting the same methods that fix your dishwasher to get your car running. It’s also why we have many treatment modalities for cancer, from radiation to immunotherapy.”
Grimes’ full statements on the findings can be found here.
*1 in 2 by 2020 is a projection based on current data provided by the NCRI (National Cancer Registry Ireland). It makes allowances for variables such as aging population, lifestyle and other factors and is in line with projections for other countries such as the UK.
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