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metalsand
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metalsand  |  June 08, 2009 10:10 AM
No, unless we come up with a new breakthrough like antibiotics, which are made to target bacteria. Otherwise no, because they are't related besides both being the most deadly disease on the planet.
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badaspie
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badaspie  |  June 09, 2009 08:32 AM  |  view on twitter
It is unlikely that cancers and HIV infections would all be cured by the same therapy. There are many different types of cancer, with different possible causes for each; and although some cancers are of viral origin in the same way that AIDS is, these viruses (oncoviruses) are a diverse group and again unlikely to respond in the same way to any one specific therapy.

Sources:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/178660
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncovirus

NOTE: While researching references for the above, I found the following article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090522081217.htm

which describes the recent engineering of common viruses to infect cancer cells while leaving healthy cells undamaged. Science has been working on a cure for cancer since before scientists knew what cancer was, and there have been many false alarms raised about supposed cures. If this one proves successful, the concept (engineered viruses targeting diseased cells) will have many applications, but different types of cancer will probably still need different engineered viruses to treat them. We'll know more in a couple of years, when clinical trials are expected to begin.
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badaspie
badaspie  |  August 24, 2009 05:31 AM
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