New use for the controversial malarial therapy

A couple decades back, Henry Heimlich — most known for inventing the eponymous maneuver — came up with a controversial therapy to treat diseases like AIDS and Lyme disease. It involved injecting the parasite that causes malaria into patients, thereby stimulating their immune system. The theory was discredited, but Heimlich went on to launch trials of the therapy in HIV patients in Mexico and China.

Now, a scientist who led the Chinese study is using malarial therapy again — this time to treat cancer patients.

The study has yet to undergo peer review, and many scientists around the world remain deeply wary.