There is currently a monoclonal antibody(MAB)-based therapy on the market called Trastuzumab emtansine. It works by binding to receptors found on specific breast cancer cell types; the HER2 receptor. Then, the receptor and antibody are internalized by the cell, then, a few molecules of some nasty chemotheraputic agent go to work, nicely targeted by the MAB system.

I think we can improve upon this, the drugs that they can attach to the antibody are limited, they pretty much have to use stuff that sticks to proteins. This is not as good, for example as attaching a lovely active caspase to the antibody. Caspases are specific proteases which induce apoptosis, cell suicide. The cool thing about them is that they have no role outside cells, so when circulating around in the blood they'll be totally harmless. When internalized into the cells, they will be more effective than small molecules because the caspase system is adapted to be a self amplifying cascade. There, a sensible workable halfbaked cancer idea.
-- bs0u0155, May 11 2015

Sounds good to me.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 11 2015


The gold rush will be verifying those unique cancer binding sites.
-- wjt, May 12 2015


Actually, if you can bind a regular over-expression plasmid of something like a GFP-tagged Caspase 8 using an intracellilar only esterase/protease linker you would add a layer of amplification and have a fluorescent reporter.
-- bs0u0155, May 12 2015


What I've just done there is make a very expensive replication-deficient virus, as you were.
-- bs0u0155, May 12 2015


<Tyrell>

"We've already tried it. Ethyl methane sulfonate is an alkylating agent and a potent mutagen. It created a virus so lethal the subject was dead before he left the table ..."

</Tyrell>
-- 8th of 7, May 12 2015


The real gold in this idea is the use of " celuular machinery ".
-- normzone, May 12 2015


grrr, fixed.
-- bs0u0155, May 12 2015


...but you missed //intracellilar//. I didn't want to point it out, but HB etiquette demands that I raise the point.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 13 2015


Jeez, it's a vowel isn't it? I mean, if it were in a New Zealand accent it would be: "untracillular". Clearly, as long as you get a vowel in there, people will just assume you're from a colony.
-- bs0u0155, May 13 2015



random, halfbakery