Can Silicon Valley cure cancer? Napster founder Sean Parker says yes

[hatedialysis2]

Maybe we should all write to the Parker Institute to invest in research that would propel  CKD treatments to 21st century.  I have faith in our tech savvy entrepreneur minded, creative, problem solving  milliennials to solve many of the health issues we face. 

"What's unique about Parker's Institute is its structure and design
It brings together six of the country's leading cancer centers to have them share intellectual property, enabling more than 300 researchers at more than 40 labs across the country to have immediate access to each other's findings.
The institute will license the research findings from each of the cancer centers in order to share.
"That removes a lot of the bureaucratic barriers that would've prevented scientists from immediately sharing or capitalizing upon each others' discoveries," Parker said. "So a breakthrough made by one scientist at one center is immediately available to be used by any scientist within the network, and they improve upon it."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/13/health/cancer-immunotherapy-sean-parker/

[Charlie B53]

Currently it is VERY profitable for the drug companies to TREAT illness, not cure them.

I do not expect to see any change coming from that direction.

Independent researchers need funding that is hard to come by.  But these are the people that show the most promise.

[kickingandscreaming]

Currently it is VERY profitable for the drug companies to TREAT illness, not cure them.

Same thing holds for the medical profession.  It's s sickness model.  That's where the money is.  I know I'm cynical, but as Lily Tomlin famously said, "“No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up.”

[hatedialysis2]

Currently it is VERY profitable for the drug companies to TREAT illness, not cure them.

I do not expect to see any change coming from that direction.

Independent researchers need funding that is hard to come by.  But these are the people that show the most promise.

The Parker Institute funding comes from Sean Parker (a Silicon Valley tycoon) who has gathered researchers from top Universities to continue research in immunotherapy which as cured patients of certain cancers.   He is not relying on big pharma funding or government funding .    the way it is now researchers making progress hit a brick wall due to funding and not enough information sharing between other researchers/scientists.  Sean Parker is creatively solving that problem  to bring a solution for real cancer CURES and he is betting his own money on it.    Don't know about you but I see that as a beacon of light.

[Simon Dog]

I don't buy into "the money people do not want a cancer cure".

A cure bring BIG money, and can have spectacular profit margins because the industry has made an art of value pricing (setting price based on the value to the buyer, not cost) and price discrimination (selling to each customer at the maximum that particular consumer will pay).   Just look at the Hep C cure Harvoni - $200 to make a treatment cycle; $95,000 for US buyers, more like $80,000 for European buyers and $1000 for Indian buyers (with procedure in place to prevent Indian MDs from getting for foreigners at Indian prices).

A cancer cure could easily be the biggest money maker of all time.