Patients are holding out hope that someday soon, they hope physicians will be able to personalize medical treatment more precisely than theyve been able to in the past. For people with cancer, this might mean taking a quick biopsy, studying the genetic profile of a tumor and then tailoring interventions to target the cancer effectively, with as few side effects as possible. But a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday underscores why the vision remains a challenge. Cancer researchers in England showed that individual kidney tumors and their metastases had different mutations in different locations and that those mutations, in turn, affect the biology of those tumors in varying ways in different locations. A single tumor-biopsy-specimen reveals a minority of genetic aberrations that are present in an entire tumor, wrote Dr. Marco Gerlinger of the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute and co-authors. For example, the scientists found that one region of a renal carcinoma could display gene expression signatures associated with a good prognosis, while signatures in another region of the same tumor could be associated with a poor prognosis. The basic insight that a single cancer can contain a number of mutations isnt … Continue reading →

Enlarge Wikimedia Commons A study of kidney cancer patients finds the complexity of tumors may thwart simple attempts to personalize treatment. A study of kidney cancer patients finds the complexity of tumors may thwart simple attempts to personalize treatment. Cancer may be even more complicated than everybody already thought. And that's why a single tissue sample taken from a single tumor may not be the best way to figure out a course of treatment. British researchers took multiple samples within kidney tumors (before and after drug treatment) and also got samples from tumors that had spread from the original cancers in four patients. They performed all kinds of genetic tests, including detailed DNA sequencing, on the cancers and found wide variations in some key traits. "We used every possible genomics technique available," senior author Charles Swanton told science blogger Ed Yong. "Even then we are only scratching the surface of the complexity within each cancer." Even so, they found that some genetic variations that would be considered unfavorable for patients and others that would be good news for them were present in different parts of the same tumor. Those results help explain why some treatments that seem like a good … Continue reading →

New Research Shows Personalized Treatment for Cancer Not So Simple WebMD Health News March 8, 2012 -- A small study that shows a surprising complexity of genetic changes within a single tumor has far-reaching implications for the march toward personalized cancer therapy, according to researchers. A single biopsy from a tumor might not be sufficient to give a full picture of its genetic landscape, a team from the United Kingdom reports. When the researchers examined 10 biopsies taken from a single kidney cancer tumor, they found "an extraordinary amount of diversity" in the genetic changes that had taken place in different parts of the tumor. "There were more differences between biopsies from the same tumor at the genetic level than there were similarities," said researcher Charles Swanton, MD, PhD, from the Cancer Research UK, London Institute, and the University College London, United Kingdom. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, were highlighted at a London news conference organized by Cancer Research UK, which funded the study. The team also found differences in genetic changes between the primary tumor and places in the body where the cancer spread. Similar findings have been documented by other research groups. But … Continue reading →

(CNN) - A Florida cardiologist could have his medical license revoked by state authorities who have accused him of performing illegal stem cell therapy on a patient who died during the procedure. Florida's Department of Health ordered the emergency suspension of Zannos Grekos' medical license Wednesday, accusing the Bonita Springs doctor of violating an emergency order against using stem cell treatments in Florida and causing the death of an unidentified elderly patient. Grekos can appeal the order. According to the license suspension order, Grekos performed a stem cell treatment this month on the patient, who was suffering from pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. Both diseases restrict blood flow to the heart. "During said stem cell treatment, patient R.P. suffered a cardiac arrest and died," the suspension order said. CNN first investigated Grekos' activities in 2009, when he said he was using stem cell therapy for a company called Regenocyte Therapeutic. His profile, listed on the company's website, describes Grekos as having "extensive experience in the field of stem cell therapy" and says he "was recently appointed to the Science Advisory Board of the United States' Repair Stem Cell Institute." At the time of CNN's interview, Grekos said he extracted stem … Continue reading →

By David Fitzpatrick and Drew Griffin, Special Investigations Unit updated 9:23 PM EST, Thu March 8, 2012 Dr. Zannos Grekos, seen here in 2009, could have his license suspended. STORY HIGHLIGHTS (CNN) -- A Florida cardiologist could have his medical license revoked by state authorities who have accused him of performing illegal stem cell therapy on a patient who died during the procedure. Florida's Department of Health ordered the emergency suspension of Zannos Grekos' medical license Wednesday, accusing the Bonita Springs doctor of violating an emergency order against using stem cell treatments in Florida and causing the death of an unidentified elderly patient. Grekos can appeal the order. According to the license suspension order, Grekos performed a stem cell treatment this month on the patient, who was suffering from pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. Both diseases restrict blood flow to the heart. "During said stem cell treatment, patient R.P. suffered a cardiac arrest and died," the suspension order said. CNN first investigated Grekos' activities in 2009, when he said he was using stem cell therapy for a company called Regenocyte Therapeutic. His profile, listed on the company's website, describes Grekos as having "extensive experience in the field of stem cell … Continue reading →

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BioTime, Inc. (NYSE Amex:BTX), a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced that Chief Financial Officer, Peter S. Garcia, will present a corporate overview of BioTime and its subsidiaries at the ROTH 24th Annual Growth Stock Conference. The presentation will take place on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. PDT at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dana Point, California. The presentation will be webcast and available online at the Investors section of the website at http://www.biotimeinc.com and at http://wsw.com/webcast/roth26/btx/. ROTH Capital Partners will host more than 400 growth companies at its annual investment conference, March 11-14, 2012, including more than 130 healthcare companies in the biotechnology, healthcare services, medical device, and pharmaceutical sectors. About BioTime, Inc. BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is developed through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of applications. BioTime develops and markets research products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary ACTCellerate cell lines, culture media, and differentiation kits. BioTime's wholly owned subsidiary ES Cell International Pte. Ltd. … Continue reading →

BONITA SPRINGS, FL - The state Surgeon General has issued an emergency suspension of the license of Dr. Zannos Grekos for providing a stem cell treatment to a patient contrary to previous restrictions placed on his license. The patient died during the treatment. According to the emergency suspension order, in February 2011 Dr. Grekos was ordered not to perform any stem cell treatments on patients. On March 2, 2012, Grekos is accused of treating an elderly man with pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis with stem cells. The suspension order says Grekos harvested tissue from the patient's abdomen that commonly contains stem cells. That tissue was sent to a lab to have the stem cells concentrated. Those concentrated stem cells were then injected into the patient's bloodstream, according to the order. The patient died of cardiac arrest during the treatment. Because the stem cell treatment violated previous restrictions on Grekos' license, the state requested the emergency suspension of his license. One section of the emergency suspension order states, "Nothing short of the immediate suspension of Dr. Grekos' license to practice medicine would be sufficient to protect the public from the danger of harm presented by Dr. Grekos." Continue reading here: Doctor's … Continue reading →

By David Fitzpatrick and Drew Griffin, Special Investigations Unit updated 1:34 PM EST, Thu March 8, 2012 Dr. Zannos Grekos, seen here in 2009, could have his license suspended. STORY HIGHLIGHTS (CNN) -- A Florida cardiologist could have his medical license revoked by state authorities who have accused him of performing illegal stem cell therapy treatment on an elderly patient who died during the procedure. Florida's Department of Health ordered the emergency suspension of Dr. Zannos Grekos' medical license Wednesday, accusing the Bonita Springs doctor of violating an emergency order against using stem cell treatments in Florida and allegedly causing the death of an unnamed elderly patient. Grekos can appeal the order. According to the license suspension order, Grekos performed a stem cell treatment earlier this month on the patient, who was suffering from pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. Both diseases restrict blood flow to the heart. "During said stem cell treatment, patient R.P. suffered a cardiac arrest and died," the suspension order said. CNN first investigated Grekos's activities in 2009 and, at that time, he said he was using stem cell therapy for a company he called Regenocyte Therapeutic. His profile, listed on the company's website, describes Grekos as … Continue reading →