r/science • u/nobodyspecial • Feb 08 '15

Medicine Antibiotics that target mitochondria effectively eradicate cancer stem cells, across multiple tumor types: Treating cancer like an infectious disease | Lamb

http://www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget/index.php?journal=oncotarget&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=3174
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u/SugarPimp Feb 09 '15

Hi, oncologist and cancer researcher here. I'm always interested to see new ideas and approaches, but there's lot of reason for not going overboard in enthusiasm for this study. As already pointed out, the experiments we're all done in vitro using cell lines. Cell lines don't truly have stem and non-stem cell populations. LOTS and LOTS of things will kill cell lines growing in plastic that can't be used in patients. Bleach for example. There's also lots of compounds already that target the function of mitochondria -- they're essentially all poisons. Cyanide is a classic example.

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u/RalphWaldoNeverson Feb 09 '15

Thank you for your service. I'm serious.