During National Cancer Survivors Month, people around the country are recognizing the more than 16.9 million cancer survivors in the U.S. who are living with, through, and beyond their disease. www.lls.org

One of the most innovative treatments giving hope to people with blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia or myelomas is CAR T-cell therapy.1
• CAR T-cell therapies are made from a patient’s own blood cells and use the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells.2
• These innovative treatments have shown to be potentially life-saving therapies for patients with certain blood cancers, like large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), which is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and can be aggressive.2,3
• However, awareness of CAR T-cell therapy among potentially eligible patients in the U.S. is low – only about 1 out of 5 are aware of the therapy as a treatment option.4

Michael, a small business owner and father of three girls living in New Jersey, was diagnosed with LBCL in October 2018 and was treated with chemotherapy which he described as “pretty aggressive.” His cancer quickly returned – only four months later – and he decided to participate in a clinical trial for CAR T-cell therapy. Today he is 3+ years cancer-free.

Dr. Lori Leslie, a hematologist and oncologist at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center in New Jersey, treats people with blood cancers and has seen firsthand their devastating impact particularly for those whose cancer returns. Dr. Leslie, who treated Michael with CAR T-cell therapy, is available to discuss how recent treatment advances like CAR T-cell therapies offer people like Michael hope.

Michael and Dr. Leslie speak about CAR T-cell therapies for cancers like LBCL and how eligible patients and caregivers can learn more about these innovative treatments.

Interview is courtesy: Kite, a Gilead Company

1Siegel RL, Miller KD, Fuchs HE. Cancer statistics, 2022. CA Cancer J Clin. 2022;70:7-33.
2Zhao L, Cao YK. Engineered T cell therapy for cancer in the clinic. Front Immunol. 2019;10:1-20.
3National Cancer Institute. Cancer stat facts: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/nhl.html. Accessed May 10, 2022.
4 Data on File.

#michael #drlorileslie #car #t-cell #therapy #cancer #lbcl #patients #caregivers #innovativetreatments #kitegileadcompany #bloodcells #cancersurvivors #lls #b-cell

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NIH study advances personalized immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer

An experimental form of immunotherapy that uses an individual’s own tumor-fighting immune cells could potentially be used to treat people with metastatic breast cancer, according to results from an ongoing clinical trial led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Center for Cancer Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. Many people with metastatic breast cancer can mount an immune reaction against their tumors, the study found, a prerequisite for this type of immunotherapy, which relies on what are called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).

In a clinical trial of 42 women with metastatic breast cancer, 28 (or 67%) generated an immune reaction against their cancer. The approach was used to treat six women, half of whom experienced measurable tumor shrinkage. Results from the trial appeared Feb. 1, 2022, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“It’s popular dogma that hormone receptor–positive breast cancers are not capable of provoking an immune response and are not susceptible to immunotherapy,” said study leader Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Surgery Branch in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research. “The findings suggest that this form of immunotherapy can be used to treat some people with metastatic breast cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options.”

Immunotherapy is a treatment that helps a person’s own immune system fight cancer. However, most available immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, have shown limited effectiveness against hormone receptor–positive breast cancers, which are the majority of breast cancers.

The immunotherapy approach used in the trial was pioneered in the late 1980s by Dr. Rosenberg and his colleagues at NCI. It relies on TILs, T cells that are found in and around the tumor.

TILs can target tumor cells that have specific proteins on their surface, called neoantigens, that the immune cells recognize. Neoantigens are produced when mutations occur in tumor DNA. Other forms of immunotherapy have been found to be effective in treating cancers, such as melanoma, that have many mutations, and therefore many neoantigens. Its effectiveness in cancers that have fewer neoantigens, such as breast cancer, however, has been less clear.

The results of the new study come from an ongoing phase 2 clinical trial being carried out by Dr. Rosenberg and his colleagues. This trial was designed to see if the immunotherapy approach could lead to tumor regressions in people with metastatic epithelial cancers, including breast cancer. In 2018, the researchers showed that one woman with metastatic breast cancer who was treated in this trial had complete tumor shrinkage, known as a complete response.

In the trial, the researchers used whole-genome sequencing to identify mutations in tumor samples from 42 women with metastatic breast cancer whose cancers had progressed despite all other treatments. The researchers then isolated TILs from the tumor samples and, in lab tests, tested their reactivity against neoantigens produced by the different mutations in the tumor.

Twenty-eight women had TILs that recognized at least one neoantigen. Nearly all the neoantigens identified were unique to each patient.

“It’s fascinating that the Achilles’ heel of these cancers can potentially be the very gene mutations that caused the cancer,” said Dr. Rosenberg. “Since that 2018 study, we now have information on 42 patients, showing that the majority give rise to immune reactions.”

For the six women treated, the researchers took the reactive TILs and grew them to large numbers in the lab. They then returned the immune cells to each patient via intravenous infusion. All the patients were also given four doses of the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) before the infusion to prevent the newly introduced T cells from becoming inactivated.

After the treatment, tumors shrank in three of the six women. One is the original woman reported in the 2018 study, who remains cancer free to this day. The other two women had tumor shrinkage of 52% and 69% after six months and 10 months, respectively. However, some disease returned and was surgically removed. Those women now have no evidence of cancer approximately five years and 3.5 years, respectively, after their TIL treatment.

The researchers acknowledged that the use of pembrolizumab, which has been approved for some early-stage breast cancers, may raise uncertainties about its influence on the outcome of TIL therapy. However, they said, treatment with such checkpoint inhibitors alone has not led to sustained tumor shrinkage in people with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer.

Dr. Rosenberg said that with the anticipated opening early this year of NCI’s new building devoted to cell-based therapies, he and his colleagues can begin treating more individuals with metastatic breast cancer as part of the ongoing clinical trial. He noted that this new immunotherapy approach could potentially be used for people with other types of cancer as well.

“We’re using a patient’s own lymphocytes as a drug to treat the cancer by targeting the unique mutations in that cancer,” he said. “This is a highly personalized treatment.”

About the Center for Cancer Research (CCR): CCR comprises nearly 250 teams conducting basic, translational, and clinical research in the NCI intramural program — an environment supporting innovative science aimed at improving human health. CCR’s clinical program is housed at the NIH Clinical Center — the world’s largest hospital dedicated to clinical research. For more information about CCR and its programs, visit ccr.cancer.gov.

About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at cancer.gov or call NCI’s contact center, the Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit nih.gov

#cancer #rosenberg #national #institute #health #research #breast #immunotherapy #patients #metastatic #tumor #fight #lymphocytes #oncology #infiltrating #immune #response #cells #dna #science

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April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Parkinson’s, which is characterized by a loss of certain nerve cells in the brain that regulate functions like motor control, affects about one million people in the U.S. and millions more globally. It is the second most common progressive neurological disorder and research shows prevalence in the U.S. is increasing.

Parkinson’s symptoms can be challenging to diagnose. And even once diagnosed and put on baseline Parkinson’s treatment, many people with Parkinson’s experience a return of their symptoms between doses, bringing a new meaning to “feeling off.”

For these people, these fluctuations between periods when symptoms are controlled – known as ON periods – and periods when symptoms return – known as OFF periods or OFF episodes, can be very disruptive. During OFF periods, people with Parkinson’s are left with restricted or uncontrolled movement, reducing their mobility. A 2014 survey of more than 3,000 people with Parkinson’s conducted by The Michael J. Fox Foundation found that nearly two-thirds of participants reported having more than two hours of OFF time per day.

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, so it’s the perfect time to learn more about the condition, including the importance of speaking up and having effective conversations with your doctor.

Today, treatment options exist for people with Parkinson’s who experience OFF periods, including Bob Harmon, who was diagnosed 13 years ago. On March 27, 2019, Bob will share his personal story, including his participation in a clinical trial for one of these treatments, which was recently approved by the FDA. He will be joined by his neurologist, Dr. Robert Hauser, Director at Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center in Tampa, who can discuss the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and OFF periods, as well as ways to help manage them.

Bob and Dr. Hauser can also explain why it’s important to speak up about how you are feeling and get involved with efforts that may help others and yourself if you are living with a health condition.

When you book a window, we’ll provide you with guest bio & suggested questions.

Interview is courtesy: Acorda Therapeutics

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BioTime is a biotechnology company focused on the emerging field of regenerative medicine. Our core technologies center on novel stem cells capable of becoming all of the cell types in the human body. Products made from these “pluripotent” stem cells are being developed by our subsidiaries, each of which concentrates on different medical specialties, including: neuroscience, oncology, orthopedics, and blood and vascular diseases. BioTime’s commercial strategy targets near-term commercial opportunities such as Hextend and our current line of research products: ACTCellerate cell lines and associated ESpan culture media, HyStem hydrogels, and GMP human embryonic stem cell lines. In addition, the launch of HyStem-Rx as a cell delivery device is expected in 2013, and the launch of PanC-Dx as a novel blood-based cancer screen is expected by 2014.  www.biotimeinc.com

Master Qi

The world renowned qi gong Great Master Qi Fei-Long is a Doctor ofTraditional Chinese Medicine(TCM), an honorable member of the China Medical Qi Gong Council, Advisor for International Science & Peace, President of the Flying Dragon Health 6c Nutrition Schooland the Chairman of ‘World Chinese Changes, Feng Shui and Astrology(Metaphysics) Academy.

From the age of seven years, Great Master Qi has had a very strong influence from his family TCM practice. Great Master Qi was precocious and showed extraordinary diligence and a superior talent in the Martial Arts. His profound understanding of Buddhism during his early childhood made him stand out among all others during his eight years of study and practice of Buddhism at the Shaolin Temple. For his remarkable achievements he was honored to receive special training from Great Master Su Yun the head of the Shaolin Temple. He learned the unique qi gong technique called “Chan Yuan Gong”.

Thereafter he became Master of the 31st Generation of the Jin Gang One Finger Stand of the Shaolin Temple (an extraordinary physical and mental feat performed by very few). After leaving Shaolin Temple, he had the privilege to learn “Tibetan Qi Gong” from both the Panchan Lama (second to the Dalai lama) and Xia Ridong, which is only passed on to a very few outstanding monks at the Tibetan Temple.

Great Master Qi Fei-long combined the “Chan Yuan Gong”and the “Tibean Qi Gong” to create his powerful “ChanMi Gong” which has been officially recognized by the Chinese Government as one of the most powerful and useful methods for gaining and retaining one’s good health. He also absorbed *re essences from the five major schools(Buddhism, Thoism, Confucianism, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Martial Art$ and created Shaolin ChanMi Gong. It is a meditative exercise with certain dynamic movements including gestures, codes and visualizations.

Shaolin ChanMi Gong is both easy to learn and extremely effective in building up well-being and in strengthening the immune system. It also acts as a “supplement” for self healing longevity and for developing a higher level of intelligence.

Great Master Qi Fei-long has developed some very special abilities using both universal and human energy. He uses his “qi” to educate people in the art of self-healing. Wiith his qi emission, he can set an ordinary newspaper on fire, slice through a number of plastic chopsticks with a $20 dallier bill, pull a solid building brick apart with his bare hands and stop the second hand of a wall clock, etc. His audiences and clients have always been duly impressed by the sight of these special abilities, which have been reported by major newspapers and tV stations in over 20 countries worldwide.

Great Master qi Fei-Long is also a world renowned Martial Arts Champion with scores of national and international honors and awards. He is both a judge and a referee of IKFF and a 9th Degree Black let from the International Kung-Fu Federation.

Great Master qi Fei-Long has developed a series of award winning health care products using special blends of herbs. Among them are the meditation cushion, cap and pillow all of which have gained patent status. These products not only enhance one’s qi effect, but also are useful in balancing Yin and Yan, opening meridians and assisting in the overall well-being of an individual.

www.shaolinworld.com

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