Well, that’s ok in most situations…but not when it comes to cancer.
Cells communicate with the world around them via signals they receive through their membranes which are conducted to their nuclei by various pathways…15 at last count. One is especially important: MAPK/ERK (not the Mod from Oz)…and that cancer cells grown in culture (mouse cancer cells) have dysregulation of this pathway in 85% of all cancer types. In the cancerous cells, it turns out that the cell nuclei are being bombarded by this MAPK/ERK cascade. Could these cancers be the result of a ‘spam attack’ since the flooding of the nuclei’s “inbox” results unmitigated growth and multiplication?
So, two Israeli researchers decided to test this hypothesis…since ERK (sorry, mate) has to undergo a transformation to get into the nucleus (it has a membrane, too) that went sort of like, “Could a spam filter at this step stop cancer multiplication and growth?”
They designed small molecules to enter the cancerous cells to see which could block the transfer…and found one such molecule…which even kills the cancerous cells, but does not affect normal cells. This might just prevent the toxic adverse side effects seen with chemotherapeutic drugs…a true advance. Actually, the cancerous cells disappeared within days and didn’t return!
“The ERK can still send a “delivery receipt” back up the relay to the receptors, so they don’t try to resend the message. According to Seger [Prof. Roney Seger], the method of designing small molecules that can get inside cells and stop certain messages before they become “spam” might be useful in treating other diseases in addition to cancer.” – NoCamels
One of the cancers that the molecule erased in the tissue cultures was Melanoma…a highly malignant form of skin cancer…in which the drugs used to kill it lose efficacy over time. So, perhaps the molecule can be used in a rotation schedule with other drugs to prevent this loss of efficacy.
“Says Seger: “All in all, the molecule was completely effective in eliminating a dozen of the cancers the team tested, and many others showed a decline, if not complete destruction, of the cancer cells.” – ibid
So…there’s hope and perhaps more…it won’t make it to market in time for many, far too many unfortunately, but for many, many more it perhaps will.
I’m on the hopers' side…
By the way, http://nocamels.com/ is an excellent website (along with http://www.israel21c.org/) to follow innovations and progress being made in many fields in Israel.
Source:
http://nocamels.com/2015/04/blocking-information-stops-cancer-spread/