
	Saturday, 19 May, 2012

Science book

Cancer evolution is an example of competitive evolution. It is a warning that competition (darwinian evolution) is not the way to further evolution. Understand this for the sake of our planet and ourselves...

As a book on cancer evolution, the selfish cell deals with innovative concepts in evolutionary biology. Additionally, new ideas on cancer treatments are forwarded to researchers.

immunotherapy

CRM197 a new immunotherapy for cancer

dendritic_cells

Many years ago, diphtheria toxin (DT) showed antitumor activity in mice and in humans, but it was unclear whether this depended on the toxicity of the molecule only or on its strong inflammatory-immunological property as well. (Buzzi S., Cancer Res. 1982 May;42(5):2054-8). The same researchers, to deal with this open question, planned to treat a group of cancer patients with cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197).

Gc-maf cancer immunotherapy

...The once-weekly injection of minute amounts of Gc-MAF, just 100 nanograms (billionths of a gram), activates macrophages and allows the immune system to pursue cancer cells with vigor, sufficient to produce total long-term cures in humans..."

A report on the creation of a virus obtained genetically modifying a common adenovirus which could constitute a therapy against cancer has appeared recently in the scientific news. This virus would selectively infect cancer cells and force them to express a protein which calls for the intervention of macrophages, additionally stimulating them to multiply. This strategy would therefore help the body mounting a strong immune response against cancer cells.

Cancer immunity trick discovered

Cancer can spread only after having won the fight against the immune system. In the years scientists have discovered a number of strategies put in place by cancer cells to sneak out of the control of the immune system or even to counterfight it. Macrophages, a fundamental arm of immunity, should be put off for cancer affirmation.

They are key determinants in autoimmunity but have been indicated to play a crucial role in cancer immune-evasion (Franzke A, Hunger JK, Dittmar KE, Ganser A, Buer J Regulatory T-cells in the control of immunological diseases. Ann Hematol. 2006 Nov;85(11):747-58. Epub 2006 Jul 27). Increasing evidences support the existence of elevated numbers of these regulatory Treg cells in solid tumors and hematological malignancies.

Simpletags

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Cancer and evolution

EurekAlert! - Cancer

The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Ultra-short laser pulses for science and industry
(Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) The shorter the pulse duration, the more precisely the laser tool operates. Ultra-short laser pulses of outstanding high average power are opening the doors to new applications in high throughput materials processing. Thanks to the short pulse duration, thermal damage of the material being processed is minimized.
New key mechanism in cell division discovered
(IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute) Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute have identified the mechanism by which protein Zds1 regulates a key function in mitosis, the process that occurs immediately before cell division. The result has been achieved in the online edition of the Journal of Cell Science and opens the door to developing targeted and direct therapies against cancer.
AGA presents cutting-edge research during DDW®
(American Gastroenterological Association) Clinicians, researchers and scientists from around the world will gather for Digestive Disease Week 2012, the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting, from May 19-22, 2012, at the San Diego Convention Center. DDW, the annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, is jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the AGA, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.
Hybrid vaccine demonstrates potential to prevent breast cancer recurrence
(University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) A breast cancer vaccine already shown to elicit a powerful immune response in women with varying levels of HER2 expression has the ability to improve recurrence rates and is well tolerated in an adjuvant setting, according to new research from a clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Scientists study serious immune malfunction
(University of Copenhagen) Defects in the gene that encodes the XIAP protein result in a serious immune malfunction. Scientists used biochemical analyses to map the protein's ability to activate vital components of the immune system. Their results have recently been published in Molecular Cell, a journal of international scientific repute.
Protein RAL associated with aggressive characteristics in prostate, bladder and skin cancers
(University of Colorado Denver) A study published this week in the journal Cancer Research shows the proteins RalA and RalB are associated with aggressive cancer characteristics in human tumors.
Researchers undertake radical new cancer survivorship study
(University of Southampton) Researchers from the Macmillan Survivorship Research Group, at the University of Southampton, have developed the first study of its kind looking at the experiences and needs of people after primary treatment of colorectal cancer.
Phase I clinical trial shows drug shrinks melanoma brain metastases
(University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of the Lancet.
Untangling the development of breast cancer
(Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute) The team created a catalog of all the mutations in the genomes of the 21 breast cancer genomes. They identified entirely new mutational processes that drive breast cancer development, including one remarkable process defined by localized regions of hypermutation found in most of the breast cancers. This phenomenon has never been seen before. They also found that, once many mutations have accumulated in a cell, the cell then diverges into different subgroups, one of which is destined to become the aggressive, dominant, breast cancer tumor.
Google goes cancer: Researchers use search engine algorithm to find cancer biomarkers
(Public Library of Science) The strategy used by Google to decide which pages are relevant for a search query can also be used to determine which proteins in a patient's cancer are relevant for the disease progression.
Children with cancer have complete responses in a Children's Oncology Group phase 1 trial
(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) A pill designed to zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers has produced encouraging early results in children with an uncommon but aggressive type of lymphoma, as well as in children with a rare form of neuroblastoma. A phase 1 clinical trial of the drug crizotinib achieved remissions, with minimal side effects, for 10 of the children participating in a clinical study carried out by the multicenter Children's Oncology Group.
Experimental agent may help older people with chronic leukemia
(Ohio State University Medical Center) The experimental drug ibrutinib shows great promise for the treatment of elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to interim findings from a clinical trial. The findings indicate the oral agent deserves further study as a first-line treatment in elderly CLL patients. CLL, the most common form of leukemia, is currently incurable.
Accelerated chemotherapy given before surgery benefits patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer
(Fox Chase Cancer Center) For some patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, treatment may begin before they undergo cystectomy, or surgical removal of the bladder. They may be advised by oncologists to receive chemotherapy before surgery. A large randomized clinical trial published in 2003 demonstrated a survival benefit for neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin) using a standard dose and schedule. However, in an effort to improve toxicity, standard MVAC has been essentially abandoned in favor of other regimens.
Jefferson receives $2.6M NIH grant to study noninvasive imaging method to stage prostate cancer
(Thomas Jefferson University) Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center and the Department of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a potentially revolutionary method that can stage prostate cancers and detect recurrent disease so accurately, it would significantly reduce the number of confirmation biopsies.
Want to avoid ED following prostate cancer surgery? Find an experienced, gentle surgeon
(University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences) A new study suggests that men undergoing robotic-assisted surgery for prostate cancer should look for a doctor who has performed at least 1,000 surgeries and who actively seeks to improve and enhance his/her surgical skills to help ensure a successful post-surgery recovery of erectile function.
More cutting-edge cancer research supported by industry
(Fox Chase Cancer Center) Nearly half of the research presented at ASCO's annual meeting last year came from researchers with ties to companies, and the amount appears to be increasing every year, according to new findings from Fox Chase Cancer Center. The new findings will be presented this year at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting on Monday, June 4.
Testing for mutations identified in squamous cell lung cancer tumors helps personalize treatment
(Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have begun testing for three new genetic targets and found that together they occur in approximately 50 percent of patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the lung, which affects 40,000 Americans each year. Initial findings of the research will be presented on June 4 at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.
Fox Chase researchers find no disparities in imaging before breast cancer surgery
(Fox Chase Cancer Center) If racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer exist, they are not due to differences in the use of imaging to assess the extent of tumors before surgery, according to new findings that will be presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Monday, June 4.
Collaborative study looks for clues on hard-to-treat breast cancer
(DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Some types of breast cancer can be successfully treated with drugs such as tamoxifen, but treatment for a type of breast cancer more common in young and black women is still limited to radiation and general chemotherapy. Called triple negative breast cancer, this type of cancer is the focus of a 20-month, $8.6-million research project that aims to find new diagnostic tools and options for drugs.
Mount Sinai presents treatment trends, vaccine research, prognosis data at ASCO
(The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine) Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers will present several landmark studies, including data on treatment trends in late-stage cancer, a promising multiple myeloma vaccine, and predictive models of soft tissue sarcomas, prostate and bladder cancer, at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

the DCA site

Tumor cells often preferentially use glycolysis to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), even in the presence of oxygen, a phenomenon known as aerobic glycolysis, or the "Warburg effect. DCA treatment appears to restore and to boost mitochondrial respiration in cancer cells, consequently causing cancer cell selective killing by a kind of "self-burning" effect.

cell energy therapy

NEW PAPER ABOUT DCA

We report the publication of a new interesting paper about DCA in the 2011edition of the Interantional Journal of Cancer

Dichloroacetate (DCA) inhibits neuroblastoma growth by specifically acting against malignant undifferentiated cells

piperlongumine and DCA

A small molecule from this plant is a newfound small anticancer molecule.

The research demonstrating this has been recently published in even in the most prestigious journal Nature (vol 475, 14 july 2011). But there could be more on sight, a synergy with the DCA?

dca and sugar

DCA promoters recommend taking caffeine and extra thiamine (vitamin B1), hoping that this will help the DCA work better and reduce potential risks of nerve damage. In a survey conducted by the DCA site (www.thedcasite.com) a certain number of heavy tea or coffee drinkers observed astounding responses, even remissions. Here we propose that it could be the sugar contained in those drinks to have helped the DCA mote than, or maybe instead of, caffeine or theophylline.

The DCA therapy

apoptosis

In the review paper "Dichloroacetate (DCA) as a potent..." appeared in the Online first session, in September issue of BJP, Prof. Michelakis most interestingly underlines the importance of targeting the peculiar "aerobic glycolytic" metabolic status of tumors. He suggests that the "Warburg effect", as the phenomenon is more commonly known in the literature, can be modulated by unlocking a mitochondrial impairment in cancer cells and that this could be a very promising strategy to fight cancer.

Can metformin boost DCA?

By itself, metformin was ineffective in treating tumors. In a one-two punch, metformin reduced tumors faster and prolonged remission in mice longer than chemotherapy alone, apparently by targeting cancer stem cells, report Harvard Medical School researchers in the Sept. 14 advance online Cancer Research.

cancer energetic signature

In the last issue of Translational Oncology (2009, 2, pp. 138-145) a report appeared confirming that cellular bioenergetics is a central issue of investigation in cancer biology.

ukrain or oxamate after dca

DCA is in clinical trials and results are expected with great interest. Meanwhile stories can be heard from people, even read on the internet, that tell us that they or their relatives have benefited from using DCA against cancer expecially when combining it with other treatments.