Vaccine breakthrough for Crohn's. Fingers crossed, everybody.

[pandorasblog]

EDIT: Looking around online I managed to find the story on the newspaper's website, with a bit more information than was given in the newspaper. I've removed what I posted originally and copy/pasted the online edition's article instead

Comments

[marshmelococoa]

WOW! Wouldn't that be amazing? I wonder how long it takes for all of those trials? I assume we're still talking years here.

[pandorasblog]

Well, they say it should be ready in the next five years. Of course, that "should" is the significant part...

[pandorasblog]

Aha. See the comments below; the article is an old one (for some reason the new one from today's print edition isn't on the website) and trials are meant to start at the end of this year.

[pandorasblog]

Darn, commented under my RPG account by mistake and had to delete. Anyway, it must be a misprint, since this is more or less the same article that ran in today's paper, but with more specific details about how many years trials and availability will take. I'll make a note in the entry mentioning that.

[queenthesixth]

That would be so cool. And it's very encouraging to know that someone is out there trying to find a cure despite that fact that Crohns doesn't really get that much publicity and isn't even acknowledged as being that bad a disease when it comes to getting benefits and the like.

[bluepunchbuggie]

woo! that's awesome. a vaccine is good...but a cure would be so much better.

though how do they explain people who drank the same milk but only one person got the disease?

[pandorasblog]

My own speculation would be that some people might be genetically predisposed. For instance, there are families where more than one person has Crohn's or UC - yet not everybody has it. Also, the print version of the article said that people with a family history of UC run a higher risk of developing Crohn's. It could be that some people are more susceptible than others for reasons we don't fully understand, with various factors having to co-exist (wonky genes + drinking milk with MAP in it + maybe some other thing) for somebody to develop Crohn's. Again, that's purely my speculation as a non-medical person.

[bluepunchbuggie]

I could see that happening. Possibly the immune system being weakened by some outside factor that allows the bacteria to proliferate until it can't be killed off, just attacked.

That's probably bad logic on my part, but it's just always been my speculation.

But thanks for the info. It was definately a good read and a realhope for all of us. Is there a way to put this in the memories?

[pandorasblog]

If email the community maintainer, maybe they could do it - it does seem like something we ought to have a note of. I feel like framing the newspaper article!

[swinterh]

even if it takes 5 years...if that could stop the majority of crohn's cases, that would be effing amazing!!! i'm sending this to all my friends with crohn's...:)