SENS3 Report: the GIFT Versus Cancer

From the Methuselah Foundation Blog:

Here is a second report from Michael Rae on the third Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence conference (SENS3):

Attendees at SENS3 heard first-hand about an extremely exciting approach to cancer treatment that has not yet hit the scientific literature or the press. In 2003, Dr. Zheng Cui and his colleagues at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University reported the discovery of mice with immune cells that rendered them invulnerable to cancer: they had been intentionally giving mice cancer by injecting them with virulent cancer cells as part of a separate study, when they discovered a single mouse in the colony that was completely immune to the invasive cells.

His curiosity piqued, Dr. Cui went on to show that it could resist multiple rounds of such injections, and were so impressed that they used him to father a whole colony of mice, all of whom shared this remarkable invulnerability to cancer. Based on that ability, he calls them spontaneous regression/complete resistance (SR/CR) mice.

For the complete article please visit: http://blog.methuselahfoundation.org/2007/09/sens3_report_the_gift_versus_c_1.html

SENS3 Report: Towards Mitochondrial Repair

From: The Methuselah Foundation Blog

Michael Rae reports from the proceedings at SENS3:

Among the most exciting presentations at the third conference on Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS3) were those in Friday's session on the rescue of mitochondrial mutations. This is a subject to which Conference organizer and Methuselah Foundation Chief Science Officer Dr. Aubrey de Grey has made widely-recognized contributions.

Unlike most other parts of the cell, mitochondria house many of the genes encoding their essential proteins within themselves. These genes are vulnerable to the constant assault of free radicals produced by the mitochondria as a side-effect of their role as cellular power plants. When mitochondrial DNA is damaged, it cannot make the proteins needed to carry on the essential business of generating energy for the cell; the ensuing metabolic damage is the driver of age-related rise in oxidative stress. This oxidative stress fuels free radical damage and interferes with essential signaling pathways in cells far from the original site of the damage.

For the complete article please visit http://blog.methuselahfoundation.org/2007/09/sens3_report_the_gift_versus_c_1.html

His Heart Whirs Anew

Peter Houghton Has a Titanium Ticker. He's Not Sure How to Feel About That.

Peter Houghton is grateful for his artificial heart. After all, it has saved his life.

He's just a little wistful about emotions.

He wishes he could feel them like he used to.

Houghton is the first permanent lifetime recipient of a Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device. Seven years ago, it took over for the heart he was born with. Since then, it has unquestionably improved his physical well-being. He has walked long distances, traveled internationally and kept a daunting work schedule.

At the same time, he reports, he's become...

For the complete article please visit the Washington Post.

Super Human Biomaterials Discovered Which Accelerate Tissue Repair

Super Biomaterials Accelerates Healing and Increase Strength of Newly Formed Tissue

HuMod.com, Aug. 14 -- National Stem Cell Holding, Inc. , today announced that Michael Cohen, CEO of the Company, and Jacob Cohen, have discovered biomaterials which appear to promote tissue repair.

On July 26, 2007, the Company announced that while using its proprietary embryonic stem cell lines, Michael and Jacob Cohen discovered a group of biomaterials that in preclinical studies appear to increase the rate at which the tissue surrounding a wound heals, and ultimately, the strength of such newly formed tissue. Today, the Company reports that Michael and Jacob Cohen have also been able to derive such tissue repair promoting biomaterials from non-embryonic stem cells, such as umbilical cord blood cells.

According to Michael Cohen "By deriving these novel biomaterials from non- embryonic stem cells, such as umbilical cord blood, we believe we can avoid the costly and time consuming procedures that plague therapies developed from embryonic stem cells. This new discovery gives us the ability to cultivate tissue repair and wound healing products and commence clinical trials of such products in an expedited manner."

Adapted from Aug. 14 National Stem Cell Holding, Inc. Press Release

NIH Scientist Discover Protein Which Plays Key Role in Skin's Natural Protection From UV

Researchers have identified a protein that plays an important, early role in the increase of protective skin pigmentation after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The National Institute of Health discovery is the first to show that a protein in the SOX family can be regulated by UV radiation. The results appear in the August 13, 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Melanin is a pigment produced in the skin that helps protect cells from cancer-causing UV rays. Specialized cells called melanocytes produce the melanin, which is then transported to other epidermal cells (called keratinocytes) that make up the majority of the skin. Melanoma, a cancer of melanocytes, is the most deadly of the skin cancers, and its incidence is rising in the United States.

UV radiation from the sun or other sources, such as tanning parlors, can cause many types of damage to the skin and has been associated with a process that leads to many types of skin cancers. Individuals with lighter skin incur greater damage from UV and thus have significantly higher risk for skin cancer.

“Increased pigmentation of the skin from UV is thought to help minimize the damage from UV,” said NCI Director John E. Niederhuber, M.D. “This research on SOX9 not only gives us important insights into the intricate mechanism our body uses to protect itself from ultraviolet rays, but also into cellular pathways that might contribute to the origins and spread of melanoma.”

They found that levels of SOX9 increased within two hours after UV exposure, and continued to increase until eight hours after exposure.

“The most novel part of this study was the fact that we identified a new transcription factor that may be the earliest responder to stimulation of pigmentation such as seen in the tanning reaction following UV exposure,” said Vincent Hearing, Ph.D., chief of the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research’s (CCR) Pigment Cell Biology Section and senior author of the study. “SOX9 is likely one of the first factors that’s activated to start the chain of events that eventually leads to increases in skin pigmentation.”

Hearing’s laboratory is now examining SOX9 to see whether it could be used to target melanoma.

Adapted from Aug. 14 NIH news release

NIH Discovers Changes in Cancer Cells Which Could Lead to Important New Therapies

HuMod.com, Aug. 13 - Researchers have identified molecular changes in cancer cells that activate an important biological pathway associated with cell growth and survival, thereby revealing potential new targets for drugs to treat this cancer.

The researchers, led by a team from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have shown that malignant cells in multiple myeloma frequently harbor mutations which play a key role in promoting cell growth and preventing programmed cell death. The results of this research appear in the August, 2007, issue of Cancer Cell.

This signaling pathway prevents cell death and therefore suggests that inhibitors of the NF-kappaB pathway would provide a rational approach to the treatment of certain cancers. This is an important prospect because currently therapies are not aimed at genetically-defined pathways, and multiple myeloma remains difficult to treat.

According to Louis M. Staudt M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Section of the Metabolism Branch in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and lead author of the report, “The development of effective and non-toxic therapies for cancer depends on an understanding of the genetic defects in cancer cells."

Inhibitors that target this pathway are being developed by many pharmaceutical companies, and studies suggest that these agents should be evaluated in clinical trials in patients with multiple myeloma.

W. Michael Kuehl, M.D., chief of the Molecular Pathogenesis of Myeloma Section of the CCR Genetics Branch and a co-director of the study, stated that “Our studies suggest that activation of the NF-kappaB pathway by signals from normal bone marrow cells is critical not only for survival of normal plasma cells but also for pre-malignant and malignant myeloma tumors. The importance of this pathway is highlighted by essential mutations in some myeloma tumors. Regardless of whether or not there are mutations in this pathway, most myeloma tumors may be sensitive to NF-kappaB inhibitors.”

Adapted from NIH press release.

Cranberries Provide Urinary Tract Protection for up to Two Years

Mounting support unveils Cranberries UTI Prevention Capability

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National Kidney Foundation, one in five women will develop a urinary tract infection (UTI) during her lifetime, and 20 percent of those will have UTIs on a recurrent basis. The good news is that cranberry research supports not only the reduction of recurrent UTIs by half, but now a new study suggests cranberry compounds may help prevent recurrent UTIs for as long as two years.

A new study published in the most recent issue of Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology examined the ability of cranberry extract to ward off UTIs in women with a history of recurrent infections. During the course of the study, none of the women experienced a UTI.

The promise of cranberries long lasting health benefits were strengthened when two years after the initial study, eight of the women who continue to take cranberry extract capsules, continued to be free of UTIs, a finding that researchers find exciting given the rise of antibiotic resistance.

"The results of this pilot study reinforces the idea that by including cranberries and/or dried cranberries in their diet, women can benefit tremendously by reducing the risk of urinary tract infections," said Amy Howell, research scientist at Rutgers University.

"These new findings are particularly exciting in that cranberries offer a long term solution to help prevent UTIs in women."

Cranberries have long been known to ward off urinary tract infections (UTIs) due to unique compounds in the fruit called proanthocyanidins, or PACS. PACS offer an anti-adhesion mechanism that prevents harmful E. coli bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract wall. Cranberries may be a useful tool for helping women to maintain a healthy urinary tract, naturally.

In addition to the open label pilot study, another promising new study published in the most recent issue of The Journal of Urology studied the potential of cranberry and its unique PACs against particular strains of E. coli. Scientists found that cranberry's PACs can inhibit the adherence of E.coli to bladder cells, further strengthening previous research linking cranberry to UTI prevention. In this in vitro study, researchers utilized a cranberry powder and a cranberry PAC extract which were applied directly to cultured bladder cells. Researchers found that this anti-adherence benefit increased with greater cranberry and PAC exposure suggesting that a diet rich in cranberry may limit the occurrence and recurrence of UTIs.

There are a variety of ways to get the cranberry's anti-adhesion benefits. One eight-ounce glass of cranberry juice cocktail contains just as many PACs as a 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, a 1/3 cup of sweetened, dried cranberries, or a 1/3 cup of cranberry sauce. In addition, while cranberry packs a nutritious punch, drinking one 8-ounce serving of any of the Premium 100% Juices, or eating 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries counts as half your daily requirements for fruit.

This year Ocean Spray and the National Kidney Foundation are continuing their partnership and shared goal of spreading awareness to the public about urinary tract infections and how to prevent them. The joint venture of these two companies strengthens the educational initiative of addressing one of the most common conditions troubling women today - UTIs.

Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as about 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 75 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2006 sales of roughly $1.5 billion.

The National Kidney Foundation, Inc., a major voluntary health organization, seeks to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation.

Press Release and photo credit: Courtesy of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc