Its our goal for this to be a normal NHS procedure, so everyone who has a heart problem [and could benefit from this] will be able to. There are few downsides because theres no rejection as theyre your own stem cells, and every patient who has successfully had this treatment ends up taking less medication. Jenifer is overjoyed with the progress already made, and knows that Ian would be, too, had he lived to tell his story. For Ian, the treatment gave him an extra three years of life, but in 2006 he died from heart failure, at the age of 70. He would be so thrilled, says Jenifer. His concern would be were not doing it quick enough, because for him everything had to be done immediately. But to have achieved this much well, the medical world says weve done it all in a very short space of time. The couple spent their final years together alternating between their family home in St Johns Wood, north London, and a holiday home in Miami. They were both each others second spouses, having married in 1980 after a whirlwind romance in Cannes Jenifers first husband had died, while Ian had divorced … Continue reading →

May 9, 2017 Credit: Vetsuisse Faculty, UZH The intervertebral disc is the "shock absorber" between the vertebrae of the spine, cushioning every step, bend and jump. If the fibrocartilage tissue in the spine degenerates over time, an intervertebral disc can "slip" pinching the medulla or nerves. The consequences include intense pain or even paralysis. Dogs and people are often susceptible to this disease. Since intervertebral discs themselves cannot regenerate, the affected disc material is removed in an operation that can be performed on both people and animals. The pressure on the nerves and medulla disappears, but the degeneration of the disc remains. Frank Steffen, neurologist at the Clinic for Small Animal Surgery at the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich, has developed a stem cell therapy for the condition. Stem cells are multipotent cells that can be differentiated into various cell types. Steffen hopes that the stem cells will possibly form new disc cartilage once injected into a damaged disc. His study on three sick German shepherds demonstrate that treatment with the body's own stem cells is well tolerated an important first step. Gaining knowledge directly from the afflicted animal Research on intervertebral disc regeneration is frequently performed using … Continue reading →

It is increasingly important that oncology nurses and other healthcare providers recognize cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and other side effects that can be triggered by anticancer treatment with engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, and that they understand the importance of early detection, a speaker emphasized at the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) 42nd Annual Congress, held May 47 in Denver. Careful monitoring is essential for early detection of CAR T-cell side effects, said study coauthor Brenna Hansen, BSN, RN, OCN, a research nurse specialist at the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland. Early recognition of symptoms results in early intervention and safe management of the patient by the multidisciplinary team. CAR T-cell therapy involves equipping immune T cells with engineered receptors to facilitate immune attack on tumor cells expressing specific surface proteins. Patient T cells are collected and modified in a lab to express cancer-specific receptors. These are then infused back into the patient. CAR T-cell therapies show promise against hematologic malignancies and other cancers but can trigger a range of initially subtle but potentially life-threatening side effects. Perhaps chief among these adverse reactions is CRS and neurologic side effects that might or might not occur … Continue reading →

Cancer Therapy Advisor Phase 1 Trial of CAR-T Cell Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer Cancer Therapy Advisor Description: For this single-arm, phase 1 study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01818323), researchers are evaluating whether patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck will respond to autologous T4+ positive T cells administered ... Read more from the original source: Phase 1 Trial of CAR-T Cell Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer - Cancer Therapy Advisor … Continue reading →

Platelets, small fragments of large cells that are a very abundant component of blood, and best known for their role in blood-clotting, help hide cancer from the immune system by suppressing T cells, according to a new study. Now, in preclinical studies, researchers led by Zihai Li, M.D. Ph.D., chair of the Medical University of South Carolinas Department of Microbiology and Immunology found adoptive T cell therapy was more effective against melanoma when combined with common platelet-inhibitors, such as aspirin. A disorder known as thrombocytosis, where a patient has excess platelet product, has been associated with the progression of multiple cancer types. However, how platelets change T cell immunity to encourage tumor growth was not well understood and this study sought to investigate the role more closely. A molecule called TGF-beta is linked to suppression of the cancer-fighting activity of T cells, the study found. Immunologists have been studying TGF-beta for more than 30 years as it regulates many aspects of the immune system. More importantly, Lis team found a protein called GARP, on the surface of the platelets, acts like a molecular hook that binds to and activates TGF-beta. We found for the first time that the GARP, TGF-beta … Continue reading →

Engineered T-cell therapies, a promising way to prime a patients immune system against cancer, dont work for everyone. Scientists from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)found one possible explanation that can be targeted: blood platelets. The immune system sees tumors, or uncontrolled cell growth, as part of the self, which allows cancer to evade immune attack. In adoptive T-cell therapy, a patients own T cells are isolated from his or her blood, and then primed to recognize tumor cells. Previous research has shown that some cancers curb T-cell activity and that platelets, a component of blood responsible for clotting, might make cancer worse. The MUSC team, led by senior author Zihai Li, M.D., Ph.D.,found that platelets help cancer to hide by secreting a molecule, TGF-beta, that suppresses T cells. RELATED: New culture method boosts T cells' ability to recognize multiple cancers While most TGF-beta is inactive, the researchers found that GARP, a molecular hook on the surface of platelets, traps and activates TGF-beta. As a result, platelets become the main source of TGF-beta used by tumor cells to tamp down on T-cell function, according to a statement. The team ran a battery of preclinical trials, finding that a T-cell … Continue reading →

Former Tranmere Rovers player Joe Thompson has shared an inspiring photo as he begins stem cell therapy to battle his cancer. The 28-year-old is battling the disease for the second time, after first discovering tumours in his neck in 2013. The footballer played 32 games for Rovers in 2012 and 2013, before being diagnosed with nodular sclerosing Hodgkins disease. He fought through six months of chemotherapy before returning to football, joining Bury and then starting at Rochdale last summer. Now Joe has shared a brave photo from hospital, as he undergoes stem cell therapy. Posting the picture to Twitter he said: Little Update, First day of the Stem Cell Harvest Process! Docs are very surprised with how good my blood counts are! Hearts super fit. When he first announced his cancer had resturned in March Joe said his wife and daughter were his daily motivation. He said: I will fight this life hurdle with the same belief, courage and desire as my previous battle. The support shown to me since I discovered my illness has returned has been immense. I would like to thank my wife, Chantelle, who was my rock in my first encounter and will once again be … Continue reading →