Utah Scientist Promotes Farming Method To Treat Cancer

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INDIANAPOLIS — Breast cancer is usually associated with women, but many forget that men can get breast cancer too.

Last year, over 500 men across the United States died of breast cancer. In 2018, Dr. Christopher Gregg began his journey of not being among that statistic when he was diagnosed with breast cancer. Gregg is a professor of neurobiology and human genetics at the University of Utah.

He had a mastectomy, but that did not end his problems. He was then found to have metastasized cancerous tumors on his hip and spine.

“I knew a Stage 4 diagnosis with metastatic disease in different places was a terminal diagnosis. I knew it right away,” Gregg told WISH-TV.

With that in mind, he sought to change how some cancer predicaments are treated. Believe it or not, he was inspired by how farmers treat their crops with pesticides.

“You rotate the chemical classes of pesticides so you are never chronically spraying the same chemical until everybody develops resistance,” he said.

He felt you could do the same with cancer cells since cancer cells also eventually develop resistance to different drugs. Gregg, who usually deals with lab rats and guinea pigs in his own human genetic research, was now a guinea pig himself for a new type of cancer treatment.

“The irony has not been lost on me,” he jokingly said.

His oncologist ran with the idea and Gregg has now been treating his cancer by rotating the types of FDA-approved drugs he is taking to treat his cancer. He calls it Extinction Therapy. Gregg’s team created an algorithm using AI to accurately measure his symptoms.

So far it appears to be working as experts say he has managed to turn his cancer into a chronic disease of sorts that he manages with medication. Gregg also said that it’s cheaper than traditional cancer treatment.

Gregg and his team will continue to develop the tool. He hopes to make Extinction Therapy available to metastatic cancer patients in the next three years.

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