We were surprised with some unequivocally good news recently when Israeli scientists announced a cure for cancer! Clickbait covered the Intertubes as the news got out, but then the other shoe dropped. Other scientists from around the world chimed in with awkward questions like “was their researched published or reviewed?” or “ Were human trials complete?” And these questions were only part of the story… conspiracy theorists were already warning that Big Cancer would be gearing up to crush ANY cure, ESPECIALLY if it was proven effective. Still, when it comes to your Health cancer is a big factor, so this month we bring you a look at the Big Announcement and whether it has merit at all…
A Cure For Cancer? Israeli Scientists May Have Found One, by Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman on Jerusalem Post, Jan 2019
“Our cancer cure will be effective from day one, will last a duration of a few weeks and will have no or minimal side-effects at a much lower cost than most other treatments on the market,” Aridor said.
7 Recent Israeli Breakthroughs In Cancer Research and Detection, by NoCemels Team on NoCamels.com, Apr 2018
Israeli biotech startups too have been on the cutting-edge of innovative solutions for early detection and clinical pathology systems. Although hundreds of projects and trials are ongoing, here are seven recent developments in cancer research and treatment from Israel so far this year.
New Drug May Lead To Cure For Aggressive Brain Cancer, Israeli Researchers Say, by Shoshanna Solomon in The Times of Israel, Dec 2018
10% of animals treated with SIXAC gained ‘extended life’ and the drug ‘actually cured them of the disease,’ Sheba Medical Center reports
Israeli Cancer Cure: Medical Miracle or Fake News? by Ty Bollinger, TheTruthAboutCancer.com, Feb 2019
But every few years we see another story about a groundbreaking new miracle drug that’s supposed to totally eradicate cancer. And every time these articles come out, they provide false hope to people who deserve better. So, let’s look at the Israeli cancer claim. Let’s look at how and why stories like this keep making their way onto our screens. And let’s find a way to sort through what’s real and what isn’t.
Experts Decry Israeli Team’s Claims That They Have Found The Cure For Cancer, Robin Seaton Jefferson on Forbes.com, Jan 2019
Cancer experts and others in the United States and abroad were less than enthusiastic about a team of Israeli scientists’ statements that it would cure cancer in the coming year. In fact, some were outright incensed by the claims. Yet even so, many non-experts refused to give up hope. And the company itself stood up to its claims, telling The Times of Israel today that it simply could not afford to publish papers on its research.
Cancer Experts React To Claim About Finding A Cure Within A Year, by Yaron Steinbuch, New York Post, Jan 2019
Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said in a blog Tuesday that “it goes without saying, we all share the aspirational hope that they are correct. Unfortunately, we must be aware that this is far from proven as an effective treatment for people with cancer, let alone a cure.”
Cancer Cure? Israeli Scientists Think They Found One, 4WBZ CBS Boston, Jan 2019
“We believe we will offer in a year’s time a complete cure for cancer,” said Dan Aridor, chairman of the board of Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd., which is developing the new treatment.
An Israeli Company Claims That They Will Have A Cure For Cancer In A Year. Don’t Believe Them., by Victoria Forster on Forbes.com, Jan 2019
The New York Post and The Jerusalem Post both recently featured articles about Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd (AEBi), a company founded in 2000 from the ITEK Weizmann technology incubator. There are a number of very bold claims in both articles, many which are unsubstantiated with no evidence provided by the company. People can largely say whatever they like, after all, but it is just unusual for biotech/pharma companies to do so without significant evidence to back up their claims.
‘Cancer Cure’ Doubted As Israeli Team Claims It Can’t Afford To Publish Findings, by Soshona Solomon in The Times of Israel, Jan 219
Foreign cancer specialists are criticizing claims by a team of Israeli researchers who say they have developed a concept that will pave the way to a cure for cancer, with one US expert dismissing it as likely “another in a long line of spurious, irresponsible and ultimately cruel false promises for cancer patients.” The CEO of the company behind the research told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that it has not published its research in medical journals, as is the norm, because it “can’t afford” to do so, but that the results of its pre-clinical trials have been “very good.” Several Israeli experts contacted by The Times of Israel declined to comment on the claim, some precisely because they were not familiar with the research.
‘Highly Irresponsible:’ Israeli Company Claims to Have a Cure for Cancer, but Scientists Say Not So Fast, by JTA and Marcy Oster on Haaretz.com, Feb 2019
Fellow scientists quickly rejected the claims, calling them “spurious,” “highly irresponsible,” “unsubstantiated” and even “cruel.” The skeptical scientists note that the research group has not published any findings to back up their claims, as is traditional in the science community. Morad told The Times of Israel earlier this week that it has not published its research in medical journals because it “can’t afford” to do so. But reputable scientific journals, that are peer reviewed and highly respected, do not charge to publish serious scientific research, though the process can be rigorous.
