Play Nice Random Chat Thread VI

[AnEmptyChair]

Can any of our medical/science peeps help me out here?

I was just thinking yesterday how indistinguishable the 21st century seems to be from periods before it, and was disappointed at our rate of innovation in treating diseases. In the 20th century we had vaccines for Polio, basically eradicated TB and Rabies from the developed world, came up with treatments for cancer, etc.

It doesn't feel like we've advanced much from that. Is chemo still pretty damn sh*t for the patient? How are we tracking on treatments for the big players like dementia, neurological disorders, immune system disorders, various cancers, arthritis, etc?

Obviously we have a vaccine for COVID but the resources going into that were unprecedented.

What are some cool medical innovations we've had in the past 20 years or so?

Not so much a success in innovation but accessibility: most community sports clubs and other organisations have defibs on site now.

This isn't an area I know much about at all, but I have heard and read anecdotally that progress in immunotherapy is a huge advance in treating cancer.

 

[Themanbun]

Not so much a success in innovation but accessibility: most community sports clubs and other organisations have defibs on site now.

This isn't an area I know much about at all, but I have heard and read anecdotally that progress in immunotherapy is a huge advance in treating cancer.

Yeah I've heard of good things about immunotherapy in the veterinary space as well. I guess it hasnt undergone mass rollout yet, has it? I'm just finding it hard to recognise any major treatments that we now use as standard rather than still being in the 'promising' stage. Although Kangaroos4eva's article above was pretty useful.

 

[ferball]

Never knew Australia had Tories.. learn something everyday

They think they are tories. A more appropriate descritption would be * heads.

 

[DesertRoo]

They think they are tories. A more appropriate descritption would be fu** heads.

I’m trying to think of the equivalent 400 years inbred chateau style wealth here..
maybe if Gina Rineharts grandkids got involved in politics??
Let’s be honest our Conservative party consists of social climbers like Dutton, who picks up the phone to people like McLaughlin, ‘yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir’…

 

[Snake_Baker]

It doesn't feel like we've advanced much from that. Is chemo still pretty damn sh*t for the patient?

Check the death/age numbers. Heart disease alone is down by 40% in the last ~20 years.

How are we tracking on treatments for the big players like dementia, neurological disorders, immune system disorders, various cancers, arthritis, etc?

Some are basically cured. Some are still in the works.

What are some cool medical innovations we've had in the past 20 years or so?

Targeted cancer therapies, HIV (dolutegravir), Gene technology, Stem cell research, HPV vaccination, Influenza vaccines, Stroke treatments, Virtual eradication of the Guinea Worm parasite, Covid vaccines, Inhibitors for melanoma, Bionic eye, Artificial pancreas, Meningitis vaccine, a whole swathe of artificial peptides, etc., etc., etc...............

 

[Val Keating]

Stem cell stuff is a massive step and so is CRISPR

 

[Ligma]

How’s this a draw gib was the aggressor the whole fight and landed so many effective shots


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Themanbun]

Stem cell stuff is a massive step and so is CRISPR

It's not something that is rolled out and available to the general public though is it?

 

[The Warlord]

Never knew Australia had Tories.. learn something everyday

UK Tories and Australian Libs are hugely close.

 

[Val Keating]

It's not something that is rolled out and available to the general public though is it?

Stem cell treatment is. CRISPR is only available to secret government organisations for building a super human army.

 

[Themanbun]

Stem cell treatment is. CRISPR is only available to secret government organisations for building a super human army.

Is it?

I had a mate who needed it but it cost him a trip overseas and his house to pay for. Wasn't exactly accessible. And it nearly killed him.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Stem cell treatment is. CRISPR is only available to secret government organisations for building a super human army.

VK knows too much.

ASIO, do your thing.

 

[DesertRoo]

UK Tories and Australian Libs are hugely close.

I’d love to hear what early Australians thought of Toryism.. the protectionists wouldn’t even agree with the whigs, traditionally about the only philosophy they shared was the anti union movement..

but I’m being pedantic.

 

[Swallow_Wood]

Stem cell treatment is. CRISPR is only available to secret government organisations for building a super human army.

Give it a decade.

Was listening to a podcast recently where they were talking about the likely significant decrease in the cost of gene editing tech over the next decade to the point where this s**t will be available in well funded high schools.

 

[Val Keating]

Is it?

I had a mate who needed it but it cost him a trip overseas and his house to pay for. Wasn't exactly accessible. And it nearly killed him.

My sister went through stem cell treatment a few years back for her MS (she has it pretty aggressive) in Melbourne. There was a 8 in 10 chance that it would work. Unfortunately it didn’t work and all she got from it was a compromised immune system from the chemo. I feel pretty bad about it because I was the one who introduced her to the idea and sort of pushed her into doing it.

She’s only 30 so has time on her side and I’m confident that there will be a breakthrough in her lifetime.

 

[Val Keating]

Give it a decade.

Was listening to a podcast recently where they were talking about the likely significant decrease in the cost of gene editing tech over the next decade to the point where this sh*t will be available in well funded high schools.

Pretty sure you can but CRISPR kits on line. Snake_Baker mentioned it a while back.

Also, I 100% believe there’s labs already pretty far down the road experimenting with CRISPR

 

[Themanbun]

My sister went through stem cell treatment a few years back for her MS (she has it pretty aggressive) in Melbourne. There was a 8 in 10 chance that it would work. Unfortunately it didn’t work and all she got from it was a compromised immune system from the chemo. I feel pretty bad about it because I was the one who introduced her to the idea and sort of pushed her into doing it.

She’s only 30 so has time on her side and I’m confident that there will be a breakthrough in her lifetime.

Really? That's interesting. The person I know was rejected for that exact same treatment here in Australia and had to sell the farm to fly to Germany and have it done. It thankfully worked for this person, although they nearly died during the chemo phase. Sorry to hear about your sister mate. Don't feel bad, the drugs they need to take for MS suppress the immune system anyway, so she would have been living with that, sadly.. You tried your best and I'm sure she appreciates giving it her all.

 

[Swallow_Wood]

Pretty sure you can but CRISPR kits on line. Snake_Baker mentioned it a while back.

Also, I 100% believe there’s labs already pretty far down the road experimenting with CRISPR

Its crazy s**t.

The podcast was talking about the risks involved in the explosion of this tech given the increase in its availability will inevitably overlap with a portion of society who want to see the world burn and thus the ability of intelligent psychos to edit viruses to wipe out populations. The flip side of this is the potential of this tech to create a one size fits all vaccine that protects against everything, even new, edited viruses thus making those psychos irrelevant.

 

[The Warlord]

Give it a decade.

Was listening to a podcast recently where they were talking about the likely significant decrease in the cost of gene editing tech over the next decade to the point where this sh*t will be available in well funded high schools.

Yep, the biotech revolution we'll live through will make the tech stuff seem small beer

 

[The Warlord]

Its crazy sh*t.

The podcast was talking about the risks involved in the explosion of this tech given the increase in its availability will inevitably overlap with a portion of society who want to see the world burn and thus the ability of intelligent psychos to edit viruses to wipe out populations. The flip side of this is the potential of this tech to create a one size fits all vaccine that protects against everything, even new, edited viruses thus making those psychos irrelevant.

Have you read Margaret Atwood's MaddAdam triptych?

 

[ferball]

VK knows too much.

ASIO, do your thing.

We're on it.

 

[ferball]

Yep, the biotech revolution we'll live hopefully through will make the tech stuff seem small beer

FTFY

 

[ferball]

My sister went through stem cell treatment a few years back for her MS (she has it pretty aggressive) in Melbourne. There was a 8 in 10 chance that it would work. Unfortunately it didn’t work and all she got from it was a compromised immune system from the chemo. I feel pretty bad about it because I was the one who introduced her to the idea and sort of pushed her into doing it.

She’s only 30 so has time on her side and I’m confident that there will be a breakthrough in her lifetime.

Sometimes s**t doesn't work. You probably still did the right thing on balance.

 

[Val Keating]

Really? That's interesting. The person I know was rejected for that exact same treatment here in Australia and had to sell the farm to fly to Germany and have it done. It thankfully worked for this person, although they nearly died during the chemo phase. Sorry to hear about your sister mate. Don't feel bad, the drugs they need to take for MS suppress the immune system anyway, so she would have been living with that, sadly.. You tried your best and I'm sure she appreciates giving it her all.

My sister had her treatment about 3 years ago at the Austin and did the chemo at the cancer place there. She might’ve even been part of the trial period. When did your friend do it?

She went on Tysabri for a while afterwards (once it was clear it failed) and that worked, no relapses, but after a while she tested positive for something that Tysabri can cause in some people (can’t remember exactly what) but it meant that she had to go off it. She’s been through the ringer mate. Though I still believe that scientists will find something in her lifetime that’ll get her quality of life back.

 

[Val Keating]

Sometimes sh*t doesn't work. You probably still did the right thing on balance.

It sucks because she’s one of the best people I know. She was the polar opposite to me growing up. I was always in trouble for something she never put a foot wrong. Honestly don’t think she’s ever even smoked dope let alone anything else. Never waged, never got into any trouble. Doesn’t even drink. Because of the full on fatigue she gets she’s got access to this drug that’s kind of like speed without the side effects, called modafinil and occasional gives me some. She doesn’t even like taking those, even though she’s got them on tap.