CANCER RESEARCH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19759, 9 April 1926, Page 13

CANCER RESEARCH.

A NEW LABORATORY. PROGRESS OF DR GYE AND MR BARNARD. To enable Dr W. G. Gyc and Mr J. E. Barnard to progress at a faster rate with their cancer research a laboratory is being built for them by the Medical Research Council at the Ridgeway, Mill Hill, Middlesex. It will be finished by about March. Each investigator will have a floor to himself ; at present they have to work in different parts of Rendon. Mr Barnard said recently that the recent work is promising, but it is premature to suggest that a successful method of rendering human beings immune from cancer has been evolved. Last July it became known that by new methods of microscopy Mr Barnard had discovered a micro-organism said to be the cancer gbrm, and that experiments had been made with success to immunise chickens against cancer. The Daily Mail understands that the present position of the work is as follows: —Whereas there has been much talk of immunisation against cancer being effected by dead organisms, it is really being done by means of living organisms, separated from their chemical agents. These organisms are being derived directly from cancer cases in London hospitals. The separation of the organism from its chemical agent has, it is well known, been done by Dr Cye and Mr Barnard. Now, in various English laboratories the separated living germ of cancer is being inoculated into birds and other animals. Moreover, it may now be stated that several laboratory workers are themselves inoculated with the living germ. The results to date re that in no single case, either iu that of the animals or of human beings, has cancer since developed —this despite the fact that a subsequent inoculation has been made in several cases with the cancer germ, plus its chemical agent. The experiments have now been In progress for two years (more in the case of certain animals) and there has been no indication of the virulence of the original cancer strain used being in any way diminished. While those responsible for the researches have high hopes, they feel that caution is essential. Research work is notoriously tricky and the results must be checked again and again under the most varying conditions before it is possible to assume that real progress has been made in the cancer problem.