The Seth Group

Mission Statement

SETH stands for Scientists Exploring Truth in Healing. We are an interdisciplinary team of scientists seeking to develop new models for cancer research based on compassion and open mindedness. Paying attention to what people with cancer are experiencing, our group focuses on ways to test promising new therapies that could be integrated with conventional treatments. Our goal is to find the evidence and act quickly to publish it in peer-reviewed scientific journals to make the information, positive or negative, available to the public.

A recent government poll found that 62% of U.S. adults use some form of complementary or alternative medicine (http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camsurvey.htm). There are many new therapies available but not all have scientific evidence to back them up. The SETH Group is dedicated to filling this gap where there is hope. Cooperating within a nonprofit organization allows us to conduct investigations from a truly neutral stance. Because we don't shy away from controversial hypotheses, we follow highly rigorous scientific standards including the use of blinding and randomization.

All SETH Group scientists have formal appointments at academic medical centers or public health institutions. Access to state-of-the-art biotechnology allows our group to evaluate novel therapies using the same tests that an experimental chemotherapy would go through. We are able to recruit special expertise to projects through professional networks, thus adapting our scientific inquiry to follow where the data lead. This adaptability gives us an advantage when exploring new territories.

We recognize that the cure for cancer - or the key to peaceful co-existence with cancer - will not likely be as simple as taking a pill. We recognize spirituality as a potentially relevant dimension of the human experience that impacts health and healing. Along with this holistic approach, our group has a decidedly practical mission. We want to find out what people with cancer are using, whether anything works and, if yes, why. We are also interested in developing novel technologies to aid in the treatment of cancer. The well-being of people is the focus. We will proceed with all due skepticism but we are also fully prepared to report what we find.