At Arizona State University\u2019s Biodesign Institute, researchers are on a mission to create a world without cancer. From innovative treatments to groundbreaking early detection, ASU scientists are tackling cancer from every angle \u2014 and making real progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Karen Anderson and her team at ASU\u2019s Biodesign Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics have been digging into how biology itself could provide answers. By studying animals with naturally low cancer rates \u2014 like birds and sponges \u2014 they\u2019re learning how evolution has kept some species cancer-free. These insights are being used to develop strategies for stopping cancer before it takes hold in humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fascinating study of birds, for example, showed that even though they have high blood sugar levels, their cancer rates are lower than humans. Meanwhile, ancient sponges that can survive deadly levels of radiation have taught researchers about DNA protection and repair. ASU\u2019s team believes that understanding these natural defenses could spark new prevention methods and even better treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond prevention, ASU researchers are also developing tools to catch cancer early. The Biodesign Institute has licensed cutting-edge biomarker technologies to Provista Diagnostics, aiming to detect deadly diseases like ovarian and breast cancer long before they spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In treatment, ASU\u2019s Petra Fromme and Raimund Fromme are collaborating with Professor Tim Marlowe from the University of Arizona to create peptide 2012, a lab-made molecule that stops cancer cells from latching onto healthy tissue. In lab tests, peptide 2012 shrank tumors by 80 percent in mice \u2014 without the harsh side effects of chemotherapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ASU is also working on \u201clab-on-a-chip\u201d devices for fast, cheap diagnostics. Professor Krishnendu Chakrabarty is designing these disposable devices to ensure accurate testing in places that don\u2019t have access to high-tech labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Biodesign Institute\u2019s 20-year journey has also included advances in oncolytic viruses, nanotechnology-based cancer killers, and even DNA nanorobots designed to seek out and destroy tumors. In these efforts, ASU has become a beacon of hope for the future of cancer care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as promising as these discoveries are, they\u2019re still years away from helping patients. The path from lab to clinic takes time \u2014 and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Joe Biden\u2019s \u201cCancer Moonshot\u201d has poured nearly $1.8 billion into cancer research since 2016, promising to cut cancer death rates by half within 25 years. The White House says this will turn once-deadly diseases into treatable conditions and ensure all patients benefit from new breakthroughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But many cancer researchers remain skeptical. Critics like Dr. Gilbert Welch argue that more money doesn\u2019t always equal better results. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot harder than getting a man to the moon,\u201d he said, noting that cancer isn\u2019t one disease but hundreds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others worry that Biden\u2019s focus on expensive, high-tech treatments may leave the poor and minorities behind. \u201cWe\u2019ve overinvested in cancer,\u201d Welch warned. \u201cThere\u2019s so much money sloshing around, but we\u2019re not making progress as quickly as we think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keith Humphreys, a Stanford public health professor, believes prevention should be a bigger priority. \u201cIt\u2019s always better to prevent something than to treat it,\u201d he said, pointing to the success of anti-smoking campaigns in lowering lung cancer rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While critics are right to push for smarter spending and prevention efforts, researchers like Marco Davila see reasons to be hopeful. \u201cCancer-curing therapies are within reach,\u201d he said. Some treatments are already pushing survival rates higher \u2014 even if we\u2019re not yet at 100 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ASU\u2019s work underscores this mix of hope and caution. Their breakthroughs could one day save millions of lives. But for now, as Dr. Joshua LaBaer at the Biodesign Institute says, \u201cEvery decision we make is about saving as many lives as we can \u2014 and that takes both time and relentless dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fight against cancer isn\u2019t over, but thanks to relentless research at ASU and beyond, the dream of a cure grows stronger every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At Arizona State University\u2019s Biodesign Institute, researchers are on a mission to create a world without cancer. From innovative treatments to groundbreaking early detection, ASU scientists are tackling cancer from every angle \u2014 and making real progress. Nature\u2019s Clues to Fighting Cancer Karen Anderson and her team at ASU\u2019s Biodesign Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics have been digging into how biology itself could provide answers. By studying animals with naturally low cancer rates \u2014 like birds and sponges […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6749"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6752,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6749\/revisions\/6752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}