Monthly Archives: February 2017

February 20, 2017 by Dov Smith

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), tumors which may originate from B or T lymphocytes, account for approximately 3% of the worldwide cancer burden. Most epidemiological studies of NHL have been carried out in North American and European populations, with a few focusing on East Asian populations. Very few epidemiological studies have been conducted on B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) in Middle Eastern populations.

Since Israelis and Palestinians represent genetically and culturally diverse populations living in geographic proximity, research analyzing their risk factors can enrich our understanding of genes and environment in the causation of lymphoma. Despite sharing the same ecosystem, the populations differ in terms of lifestyle, health behaviors and medical systems. Yet both populations report high incidences of NHL, which represents the fifth most common malignancy in Israel and the eighth most common malignancy among West Bank Palestinians. (As of 2012, Israel also ranked first in the world in NHL incidence rates.)

Now, Israeli and Palestinian researchers, led by Prof. Ora Paltiel, Director of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and a Senior Physician in Hadassah's Hematology Department, have conducted a large scale epidemiological study examining risk factors for B-NHL and its subtypes in these two populations.

Recruiting from both the Palestinian Arab and Israeli Jewish populations, the researchers looked at medical history, environmental and lifestyle factors among 823 people with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) and 808 healthy controls. Using data from questionnaires, pathology review, serology and genotyping, they uncovered some risk factors common to both populations and other factors unique to each population.

The data, reported in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, showed that in both populations, overall B-NHL was associated with recreational sun exposure, black hair-dye use, a history of hospitalization for infection, and having a first-degree relative with a blood cancer. An inverse association was noted with alcohol use. Some exposures, including smoking and greater-than-monthly indoor pesticide use, were associated with specific subtypes of B-NHL.

The data also pointed to differences between the populations. Among Palestinian Arabs only, risk factors included gardening and a history of herpes, mononucleosis, rubella, or blood transfusion, while these factors were not identified in the Israeli Jewish population. In contrast, risk factors that applied to Israeli Jews only included growing fruits and vegetables, and self-reported autoimmune diseases.

The researchers concluded that differences in the observed risk factors by ethnicity could reflect differences in lifestyle, medical systems, and reporting patterns, while variations by lymphoma subtypes infer specific causal factors for different types of the disease. These findings require further investigation as to their mechanisms.

The fact that risk factors operate differently in different ethnic groups raises the possibility of gene-environment interactions, that is, that environmental exposures act differently in individuals of different genetic backgrounds. But this divergence may reflect differences in diet, cultural habits, socioeconomic, environmental and housing conditions, medical services, exposure to infections in early life or other factors.

This study reflects a unique joint scientific effort involving Israeli and Palestinian investigators, and demonstrates the importance of cooperative research even in politically uncertain climates. Cancer epidemiology will be enriched through the broadening of analytic research to include under-studied populations from a variety of ethnicities and geographic regions.

"Apart from the scientific contribution that this research provides in terms of understanding risk factors for NHL, the study entails an important research cooperation among many institutions. The study provided opportunities for training Palestinian and Israeli researchers, and will provide for intellectual interaction for years to come. The data collected will also provide a research platform for the future study of lymphoma. Epidemiologic research has the potential to improve and preserve human health, and it can also serve as a bridge to dialogue among nations," said Prof. Ora Paltiel, Director of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and a Senior Physician in Hadassah's Hematology Department.

Explore further: Israeli lifestyle and environment may pose exceptional risks for Hodgkin's lymphoma

More information: Geffen Kleinstern et al. Ethnic variation in medical and lifestyle risk factors for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A case-control study among Israelis and Palestinians, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171709

Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL) is a common malignancy in early adulthood, accounting for approximately 30 percent of all lymphomas (cancers of the lymph system). The incidence of HL in Israel is among the highest in the world: based ...

A new analysis indicates that higher body weight and taller stature during adolescence increase the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL), a type of cancer of the lymphatic system. The findings are published early ...

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Researchers cooperate to find risk factors for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma - Medical Xpress

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Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWEB) February 20, 2017

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R3 Stem Cell Now Offering Regenerative Medicine Treatment in Las ... - PR Web (press release)

Posted February 20, 2017 Atlanta, GA

The Georgia Institute of Technology will play a key role in a new public-private partnership to help establish best practices and eventual industry-wide standards for the production of therapies using living cells to treat a range of conditions.

The new partnership aims to advance techniques to process, measure and analyze cell, gene, tissue-engineered, and regenerative medicine products, as well as cell-based drug discovery products.

We are poised to make a significant impact in how cells and regenerative medicine products are manufactured across the world through this new strategic partnership, said Krishnendu Roy, Robert A. Milton Chair and professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.

Roy will serve as one of the Charter Board Members for the new International Standards Coordinating Body (SCB), which was recently established in coordination with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM).

Georgia Tech has already taken a leadership role in development of best practices and analytical standards that will impact biomanufacturing and innovation through the national roadmap on cell manufacturing developed by the National Cell Manufacturing Consortium (NCMC) and the newly established Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing (MC3M), Roy said.

Compared to traditional pharmaceuticals, which are made primarily through chemical processes, biological medicines, also known as biopharmaceuticals, are much more challenging to produce. With medicines like cell-therapies, gene therapies and engineered tissues, finding ways to produce larger quantities at a time while ensuring high-quality and safety is a key challenge.

The SCBs long-term mission is to efficiently and effectively support sector standards development to accelerate product development and scalability, and streamline regulatory submission review and approval, said Robert A. Preti, chairman of ARM and president of cell manufacturing industry partner PCT, a Caladrius Company.

The new standards initiative comes on the heels of the establishment of two National Manufacturing Innovation Institutes announced last December. One, the Institutes for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), which the U.S. Department of Commerce is supporting with a five-year, $70 million grant is a consortium of more than 150 companies, academic institutions and other organizations focused towards working on improving the way biopharmaceuticals are produced, with a goal of bringing down costs and finding ways to get the drugs into the hands of clinicians and patients faster. The second, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) is funded by the Department of Defense and focuses on biofabrication of engineered tissues as replacement of damaged and diseases organs as well as for therapeutics development. Georgia Tech is poised to play key roles in these initiatives as well.

These synergistic national and international activities further establish Georgia Tech as a leading academic institution in the biopharmaceutical area, Roy said. In January 2016, Georgia Tech announced the Marcus Center as a research center devoted to developing processes and techniques to manufacture living cells. The center was made possible by a $15.7 million grant from the Atlanta-based Marcus Foundation. This center intends to work closely with NIIMBL and ARMI to further leverage these unique private-public partnerships and develop transformative technologies to bring cell-based therapies and regenerative medicines to clinic faster and at a lower cost.

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New Partnership to Advance Production Standards in Biomanufacturing - Research Horizons