A team of Canadian cancer researchers from Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI) and scientists at PrincessMargaret Hospital and University Health Network have teamed with the World Community Grid, an IBM initiative that brings together volunteers donating the power of their own computers to create the equivalent of a supercomputer. Together they will analyze theresults of experiments using data collected by scientists at the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute in Buffalo, New York. Using this kind ofcomputing power means that instead of an estimated 162 years, results could be available in between one to two years. “We know that most cancers are caused by defective proteins in ourbodies, but we need to better understand the specific function of those proteins and how they interact in the body,” said research team leader Dr. Igor Jurisica. “We also have to findproteins that will enable us to diagnose cancer earlier, before symptoms appear, to have the best chance of treating the disease — or potentially stopping it completely.”
Tag Archive: Cancer
World Community Grid Helps Cancer Fight
Cell Phone Cancer Link Still Possible
A new British study has failed to eliminate the possibility of a link between mobile phone usage and an increased long-term risk of cancer.
A six year research program carried out by the UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme ruled out short-term adverse affects tobrain and cell functions, but found a “hint” of a higher cancer risk. The program is being expanded to look at the use of mobile phones over 10 years, and specifically the impact onchildren, which has not been studied before.
Researchers on the program discovered a slight excess reporting of brain and acoustic neuroma (ear) cancers, which they claimed was on the borderline of statistical significance. But since few people have been using mobiles for over a decade, and cancers normally take from 10-15 years from exposure to appearance, more research is the way forward.
Major Study Finds No Cell Phone-Cancer Link
A significant research study of more than 420,000 mobile phone users published in the U.K.’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute has found no link between the use of mobile telephones and cancer in mobile phone users.
For years researchers have probed the possibility that radiation and electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile telephones might lead to a greater incidence of cancer or other disorders, particularly along heavy mobile phone users, since that radiation penetrates the ears and brains of mobile users. Small-scale studies offered contradictory information, some finding no link between certain type of cancer and other disorders and the use of mobile phones, while other studies found potential correlations.
