Once shunned for his AIDS theories, Peter Duesberg is back in the spotlight.

Duesberg photograph by Timothy Archibald; courtesy Ruhong Li THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS
A healthy human cell contains 23 evenly matched pairs of chromosomes, which can be seen here, tagged with different fluorescent dyes and neatly organized according to size, from largest to smallest. For reasons that still elude scientists, when a cell turns cancerous, its chromosomes almost always appear mangled, multiplied or both. Color-coded lineups like these help researchers easily track the misfits, which are labeled as "markers" and set apart in the upper right-hand corner. Berkeley-tenured scientist Peter Duesberg, who at 33 co-discovered the first oncogene, believes structural defects in chromosomes may be driving the gene mutations that cause cancer.
Duesberg photograph by Timothy Archibald; courtesy Ruhong Li

You might think Peter Duesberg would have learned his lesson. In 1987 the University of California virologist declared that recreational and other drugs, not the HIV virus, cause AIDS. He even offered to inject himself with the virus to prove it. The radical theory "didn?t help my career," Duesberg acknowledges today. Grants dried up. Graduate students steered clear of his lab.




But none of this has stopped Duesberg from challenging mainstream theories. Now he?s taking aim at one of cancer research?s most dearly held hypotheses: that deadly tumors arise when a handful of genes go bad.




In January, Duesberg organized a scientific conference in Berkeley to debate an alternative theory. It?s not faulty genes that cause cancer, he argues, but faulty chromosomes. If he?s right, his ideas could fundamentally change how doctors screen for cancer, and could lead to earlier tumor detection.




A normal human cell contains 46 chromosomes. Most tumor cells contain double or triple that; in some, chromosomes are also missing or mangled. The condition, called aneuploidy, was first linked to cancer in 1914 but the connection was eventually pushed aside when scientists (Duesberg among them) discovered oncogenes-- genes that spur tumor growth. If a few oncogenes mutate, the theory goes, uncontrolled cell division,
or cancer, will follow. But, Duesberg argues, the disease doesn't always follow. Scientists have genetically engineered rodents teeming with oncogenes and yet these animals, he notes, rarely become tumorous. "If the mutation theory was right," he says, "those mice should be meatballs." Moreover, cells within the same tumor don't always manifest the same mutated genes.




To explain these apparent gaps in cancer's central dogma, Duesberg has put forth this theory: A carcinogen--say, tobacco smoke--causes a cell to produce daughter cells with malformed chromosomes. Since a single chromosome can host thousands of genes, the reshuffling that occurs during replication creates widespread chemical mayhem. Years or decades later, the process yields a cell with a deadly combination of mutant genes.




While Duesberg's concept of cancer is far less radical than his AIDS theory, which he still believes, many researchers remain skeptical. Aneuploidy, they contend, is little more than a side effect of cancer. Robert Weinberg, a breast cancer researcher at the Whitehead Institute in Massachusetts, says his lab has created tumor cells with a normal set of chromosomes. "He has chosen to ignore that data," Weinberg says.




But even if Duesberg's theory proves rubbish, some scientists say he's helping to stimulate new thinking about cancer's origins. "Just because he had some weird ideas about AIDS at one point, it doesn't mean he's an idiot," says Johns Hopkins cancer researcher Christoph Lengauer. "He's helped the discussion."

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3 Comments

Duesberg is my hero. He's right on HIV and also on cancer despite having discovered the first known oncogene. He persists in pursuing truth despite formidable obstacles put in his way by both mistaken and dishonest scientists. See Henry Bauer's blog and book on HIV/AIDS.

Future generations of scientists will adopt my view even as they did for Ignatz Semmelweis. The latter told doctors to wash their hands between doing an autopsy and delivering a baby. But the doctors claimed that since they were the good guys it couldn't be their fault that so many women were dying of childbed fever. They didn't yet know about germs. They banded together and had Ignatz committed to the loony bin where a guard beat him and he died.

Let's not do that to Peter Duesberg. History would not forgive us.

Varmus, Duesberg, Shapoval and Ferromagnetic Theory of Cancer. Harold Varmus, M.D., co-recipient of a Nobel Prize for studies of the genetic basis of cancer, was nominated by President Obama as Director of the NCI on May 17, 2010. According to Varmus, the genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. Cells become cancer cells because of DNA damage. The mutation theory of cancer says that a limited number of genes causes cancer. Peter Duesberg is a Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Duesberg’s arguments derive from his controversial proposal that the mutation theory of cancer - that tumors begin when a handful of mutated genes send a cell into uncontrolled growth - is wrong. Duesberg argues, instead, that carcinogenesis is initiated by a disruption of the chromosomes, which leads to duplicates, deletions, breaks and other chromosomal damage that alter the balance of tens of thousands of genes. The result is a cell with totally new traits - that is, a new phenotype. “I think Duesberg is correct by criticizing mutation theory, which sustains a billion-dollar drug industry focused on blocking these mutations,” said Mark Vincent, a medical oncologist. Vadim Shapoval is a Professor of The Old Testament. According to Shapoval, Varmus and Duesberg ignore Laws of Physics; produce erroneous cancer theories (mutation and chromosomal). Any human cell should be interpreted as a society of dia-, para-, superpara-, ferri- and ferromagnetic nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have certain local magnetic contacts. Superpara-, ferri- and ferromagnetic nanoparticles: 1) strongly attract superpara-, ferri- and ferromagnetic nanoparticles; 2) weakly attract paramagnetic nanoparticles; 3) weakly repel diamagnetic nanoparticles. Any human organism consists of normal cells (cells with non-numerous superpara-, ferri- and ferromagnetic nanoparticles) and tumor cells (cells with numerous superpara-, ferri- and ferromagnetic nanoparticles). Intracellular molecules FeO;Fe2O3;Fe3O4 are the main ‘creators’ of intracellular superpara-, ferri- and ferromagnetic nanoparticles that can chaotically distort DNA and shift chromosomes / chromosomal fragments (by local magnetic fields). The Ferromagnetic Theory of Cancer (Theory from The Old Testament): oncologists must beat cancer (a subtle iron disease) by non-complicated anti-iron methods of The Old Testament. Anti-iron intratumoral injections [sulfur (2%) + olive oil (98%); 36.6C - 39.0C] (by ceramic needles) can suppress any tumors and large metastases. Anti-iron accurate slow blood loss (even 75%) [hemoglobin control], anti-iron goat’s milk diet and anti-iron drinking water containing hydrogen sulfide can neutralize any micro-metastases.

Duesberg's Concept of Cancer, Duesberg’s AIDS Theory, Syphilis, AIDS, ALS and Cancer. Duesberg’s concepts and theories will die. Syphilis is caused by bacteria called Treponema pallidum. Mercury, applied as an ointment to syphilitic lesions, is the earliest known chemical treatment for syphilis. The development and use of potassium iodide was an important advancement in the treatment of syphilis. In 1908, scientist Paul Ehrlich began attempts to cure ‘sleeping sickness’ by isolating an arsenic compound. In 1910, salvarsan (arsphenamine) was heralded as a sort of miracle cure for syphilis. However, it soon became apparent that the ‘magic bullet’, a term which Ehrlich himself coined, was neither miraculous nor a cure. Physicians eventually discovered that treatment with salvarsan and neosalvarsan had to be supplemented by applications of mercury or bismuth ointments (metallo-therapy). In 1928 Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. The U.S. Department of Agriculture first grew large quantities of penicillin in 1941. In 1945 penicillin became widely available and accepted as the treatment of choice for syphilis. Today, primary and secondary syphilis can be successfully treated with antibiotics. HIV/AIDS is a disease of the human immune system caused by infection with human immunodeficiency virus. There is currently no cure or effective HIV vaccine. Treatment consists of high active anti-retroviral therapy which slows progression of the disease. The primary causes of death from HIV/AIDS are opportunistic infections and cancer. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. No cure has yet been found for ALS. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within 3 to 5 years from the onset of symptoms. Cancer is ultimately the result of cells that uncontrollably grow and do not die. Cancer is a common condition. More than one in three people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. Cancer treatment depends on the type of cancer, the stage of the cancer, age, health status, and additional personal characteristics. There is no single treatment for cancer, and patients often receive a combination of therapies and palliative care. Treatments usually fall into one of the following categories: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, or gene therapy. Cancer causes more than one in four of all deaths. The Old Testament invented ancient anti-iron miracle cure for AIDS, ALS and Cancer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Peter Duesberg can analyze and systematize medical anti-iron information on AIDS, ALS and Cancer. Deficiency of iron destabilizes enzyme systems of any virus. There are more than 400 types of anemia, so it is difficult to identify the precise cause without diagnostic testing. Iron-deficiency anemia for HIV/AIDS-patients can neutralize infection with human immunodeficiency virus. Iron-deficiency anemia for ALS-patients can neutralize ALS (intraneuronal superpara-ferri-ferromagnetic ‘infection’). Iron-deficiency anemia for Cancer-patients can neutralize micrometastases and isolated tumor cells. According to the Ferromagnetic Cancer Theory (Theory from The Old Testament; Iron Conception), ceramic needles can enter solution [sulfur (2%) + olive oil (98%); 36.6C - 39.0C] to tumors and large metastases. Ceramic needles can create harmless infiltrations (harmless necroses; deposits of cells that die; benign capsules). Popular Science & Vadim Shapoval



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