Lifeboat Foundation

In laboratory experiments, a metabolic inhibitor was able to kill a variety of human cancer cells of the skin, breast, lung, cervix and soft tissues through a non-apoptotic route—catastrophic macropinocytosis.

In mouse xenograft studies, the inhibitor acted synergistically with a common chemotherapy drug, cyclophosphamide, to reduce tumor growth. Thus macropinocytosis, a rarely described form of cell death, may aid in the treatment of cancer.

“Understanding the signaling pathways underlying macropinocytosis-associated cell death is an important step in developing additional effective strategies to treat neoplasms that are resistant to apoptosis induced by chemotherapy,” said Mohammad Athar, Ph.D., professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Dermatology.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have discovered a novel system to generate an artificially enveloped oncolytic adenovirus to direct the immune response against cancer.

Virus-based cancer vaccines are nowadays considered an interesting approach in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Targeting tumor-associated antigens is proven to be effective. However, the identification of these antigens remains challenging.

Researchers at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Manlio Fusciello, from the research group led by Professor Vincenzo Cerullo, and Dr. Flavia Fontana, from the research group led by Professor Hélder Santos, and their co-workers, have developed ExtraCRAd, a novel cancer vaccine platform, consisting of an oncolytic adenovirus wrapped in an artificial envelope made of cancer-cell membrane. Oncolytic virus therapy uses modified viruses that can infect and destroy tumor cells but don’t harm normal cells.

Inhale flu viruses after vaccination, and the body responds with an explosion of flu-fighting antibodies, courtesy of a deep-seated memory in the immune system, a response scientists are now finding relies heavily on a complex biological conversation—” crosstalk” between the immune and central nervous systems.

A new investigation underway at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York is revealing an interdependence between the immune and nervous system responses to any form of immunization. It has long been known that mammals store memories in the nervous and immune systems. Asking whether the two systems worked together in response to infiltrators—foreign antigens—marks a new line of scientific inquiry.

In their investigation, Feinstein researchers led by Dr. Kevin Tracey have found that antibody responses to immunization require sensory neurons. The research is posted on bioRxiv (pronounced “bio-archive”), a compilation of prepublished studies in the biological sciences.

A computational model could improve the selection of tumor antigens for personalized cancer vaccines that are now in early-stage clinical trials.

Every cell in the human body is coated with fragments of proteins called antigens that tell the immune system what’s inside the cell. Antigens presented on cells that are infected by foreign invaders or have become rogue cancers prompt an immune attack. Such antigens are often used in vaccines to spur immune responses against, for example, viruses like the flu. But to make vaccines that effectively stimulate attack against cancer, researchers need to predict exactly which tumor-specific antigens will be displayed on tumor cells and hence would be the best ones to put in a cancer vaccine.

Now, scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a new computational tool that could help with this task. The researchers turned to machine learning to analyze a diverse set of more than 185,000 human antigens that they discovered, and generated a new set of rules that predict which antigens are presented on the surface of a person’s cells. The findings, published today in Nature Biotechnology, could aid in the development of new treatments that stimulate the immune system to attack cancer as well as viruses and bacteria.

Hayley Harrison is on a constant Roll… Here she sent me privately this video of the great Bill Faloon… I have not completed the video as yet… But the beginning is awesome I will watch late tonight during my down time… Great Respect to Life Extension and Bill Faloon and Neal Francis Vanderee two of the Longevity Movements most interesting characters and the movements many activists such as Hayley “the watchful” Harrison… AEWR.

My mission is to drastically improve your life by helping you break bad habits, build and keep new healthy habits to make you the best version of yourself.

Continue reading “Brent Nally interviews Bill Faloon about his longevity clinical trial” »

It’s not often that a cancer patient is able to talk about “life after cancer,” especially when their disease is stage 4. But John Hagger is different. He has been living “life after cancer” for 25 years. While others consider him one of the lucky few, John believes his “luck” came from some good research and a lot of hard work.

John chose a healing path outside of what he calls “orthodox treatment,” and he was recently united with 21 other like-minded individuals who did the same and overcame the impossible: late-stage cancer.

Continue reading “Life After Cancer: How A 25 Year Survivor Healed His Disease at CHIPSA Hospital After Being Given Months To Live!” »

New research, led by scientists from the University of Rochester, has homed in on a mechanism responsible for causing the cognitive impairment seen in patients who receive cranial radiotherapy for brain cancer. This new understanding is hoped to lead to the development of novel ways to protect the brain from damage in the course of receiving life-saving cancer treatment.

Nearly 25,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with brain tumors every year, and many will undergo radiotherapy as a vital part of the treatment process. Sadly, more than 80 percent of patients administered a form of treatment known as whole-brain radiation therapy go on to develop permanent signs of cognitive impairment.

Prior research has discovered radiation delivered to the brain in the course of a cancer treatment seems to activate a brain immune cell known as microglia. Overactive microglia can damage healthy brains by destroying the synapses that connect neurons.

The search for an HIV vaccine may soon be over 😮 (Via @ Seeker)