Submitted by KetogenicKraig t3_10ibojf in askscience
Old-Advice-5685 t1_j5faiqp wrote
No, the mutations that occur in your regular cells are basically mutations in the mechanisms that control cell division and/or cell death. So they keep growing, causing a tumor. For the most part, they still look like the same cell on the outside. That’s what your body doesn’t mount a strong immune response and it is hard to target them with drugs. All the houses look the same, there’s no way to give the bacteriophage an address.
BeneficialWarrant t1_j5fcjkp wrote
There are surface biomarkers which are upregulated in certain cancers. CD155 in glioblastoma is an example.
Also, plenty of mechanisms for regulating death and division are on the surface. Growth factor receptors, apoptotic receptors, matrix attachment proteins. Yeah, lots of oncogenes code for membrane proteins. The houses do not all look the same.
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