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Category: biotech/medical – Page 2214

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have created the largest simulation to date of an entire gene of DNA, a feat that required one billion atoms to model and will help researchers to better understand and develop cures for diseases like cancer.

“It is important to understand DNA at this level of detail because we want to understand precisely how turn on and off,” said Karissa Sanbonmatsu, a structural biologist at Los Alamos. “Knowing how this happens could unlock the secrets to how many diseases occur.”

Modeling genes at the atomistic level is the first step toward creating a complete explanation of how DNA expands and contracts, which controls genetic on/off switching.

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A malaria vaccine which is being called the first to give partial protection against the disease, is being rolled out in Malawi. It works by training the immune system to attack the malaria parasite which is spread by mosquito bites. In a few weeks it will be rolled out in Kenya and then Ghana. BBC Newsday’s Lawrence Pollard spoke to Dr David Schellenberg who has been working on the development of the vaccine with the World Health Organisation in Geneva.

(Photo: Malawians going through a medical checkup by a paramedic Credit: MAURICIO FERRETTI/AFP/Getty Images)

2 minutes.

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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been a topic of great interest in the last decade or so due to their ability to improve tissue regeneration merely by their presence and the secreted signals they give out.

Adult MSCs have traditionally been used for regenerative medicine with hit-and-miss results, depending on the quality and age of the harvested MSCs. It has been discovered in recent years that the efficacy of these cells greatly depends on how damaged by aging they are, which explains why MSC therapy sometimes works very well in one person but not so much in another.

However, what about aged cells that are reprogrammed back to pluripotency then guided into becoming mesenchymal stem cells through cellular reprogramming?

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Earlier this year, we launched a new webinar series where our monthly patrons, the Lifespan Heroes, are given the opportunity to join live discussion panels with the researchers who are working on solving aging.

Our April 8th, 2019 episode saw Dr. Mike Lustgarten, Dr. Amy Proal, and Dr. Cosmo Mielke join hosts Dr. Oliver Medvedik and Steve Hill for a discussion about the microbiome and how it relates to aging.

The webinar discusses gut flora and the pro-aging effects of immune system burden, the link between bacterial burden and inflammation, and exercise and nutrition. There was also plenty of discussion about the immediately available practical measures that can improve the gut microbiome and thus control weight and promote health.

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Background: The medical agent #MK615 is produced from #JapaneseApricot and contains a number of cyclic triterpenes. Antitumor activity of MK615 and its additive effect when combined with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cell line. MIAPaCa-2 was previously reported by our group. The objective of this phase I trial was to evaluate safety and feasibility of combined MK615 and gemcitabine therapy in patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Conclusions: Combined MK615 and gemcitabine therapy was well-tolerated and showed antitumor activity in patients previously treated without gemcitabine or untreated patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Currently, we are planning phase II trials for elderly or frail people.

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Background: The medical agent MK615 is produced from Japanese apricot and contains a number of cyclic triterpenes. Antitumor activity of MK615 and its additive effect when combined with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cell line. MIAPaCa-2 was previously reported by our group. The objective of this phase I trial was to evaluate safety and feasibility of combined MK615 and gemcitabine therapy in patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Methods: Patients with untreated pancreatic cancer or those who underwent chemotherapy without gemcitabine were enrolled. Gemcitabine was infused at 1000 mg/m2 over 30 minutes once weekly for 3 weeks of each 28-day treatment cycle. Three packets of MK615 were orally administered daily during each 28-day treatment cycle, until any discontinuation criteria were met. If severe toxicity occurred, dose was reduced. Results: All five patients enrolled were evaluable for toxicity and response. Median age was 72 (54−79) years. Three patients had performance status (PS) 0, one had PS 1, and one PS 2. Three of five patients had been treated with chemotherapy; two with FOLFIRINOX and one with S-1. One of five patients treated had grade 4 neutropenia and two were administered granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. No patient had febrile neutropenia or adverse event leading to death. Relative dose intensity was 96.6% and 69.8% for MK615 and gemcitabine, respectively. No patients had objective response (complete response + partial response), while 2 of 5 patients (40%) had disease control (objective response + stable disease). Conclusions: Combined MK615 and gemcitabine therapy was well-tolerated and showed antitumor activity in patients previously treated without gemcitabine or untreated patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Currently, we are planning phase II trials for elderly or frail people.

Continue reading “A phase I fixed-dose feasibility study of MK615 and gemcitabine in patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer” | >