Visit the News Hub

Virus potentially could be used to treat deadly disease

Brain cancer stem cells (left) are killed by Zika virus infection (image at right shows cells after Zika treatment). A new study shows that the virus, known for killing cells in the brains of developing fetuses, could be redirected to destroy the kind of brain cancer cells that are most likely to be resistant to treatment.

While Zika virus causes devastating damage to the brains of developing fetuses, it one day may be an effective treatment for glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine shows that the virus kills brain cancer stem cells, the kind of cells most resistant to standard treatments.

The findings suggest that the lethal power of the virus known for infecting and killing cells in the brains of fetuses, causing babies to be born with tiny, misshapen heads could be directed at malignant cells in the brain. Doing so potentially could improve peoples chances against a brain cancer glioblastoma that is most often fatal within a year of diagnosis.

We showed that Zika virus can kill the kind of glioblastoma cells that tend to be resistant to current treatments and lead to death, said Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and the studys co-senior author.

The findings are published Sept. 5 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Each year in the United States, about 12,000 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer. Among them is U.S. Sen. John McCain, who announced his diagnosis in July.

The standard treatment is aggressive surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation yet most tumors recur within six months. A small population of cells, known as glioblastoma stem cells, often survives the onslaught and continues to divide, producing new tumor cells to replace the ones killed by the cancer drugs.

In their neurological origins and near-limitless ability to create new cells, glioblastoma stem cells reminded postdoctoral researcher Zhe Zhu, PhD, of neuroprogenitor cells, which generate cells for the growing brain. Zika virus specifically targets and kills neuroprogenitor cells.

In collaboration with co-senior authors Diamond and Milan G. Chheda, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine, and Jeremy N. Rich, MD, of UC San Diego, Zhu tested whether the virus could kill stem cells in glioblastomas removed from patients at diagnosis. They infected tumors with one of two strains of Zika virus. Both strains spread through the tumors, infecting and killing the cancer stem cells while largely avoiding other tumor cells.

The findings suggest that Zika infection and chemotherapy-radiation treatment have complementary effects. The standard treatment kills the bulk of the tumor cells but often leaves the stem cells intact to regenerate the tumor. Zika virus attacks the stem cells but bypasses the greater part of the tumor.

We see Zika one day being used in combination with current therapies to eradicate the whole tumor, said Chheda, an assistant professor of medicine and of neurology.

To find out whether the virus could help treat cancer in a living animal, the researchers injected either Zika virus or saltwater (a placebo) directly into the brain tumors of 18 and 15 mice, respectively. Tumors were significantly smaller in the Zika-treated mice two weeks after injection, and those mice survived significantly longer than the ones given saltwater.

If Zika were used in people, it would have to be injected into the brain, most likely during surgery to remove the primary tumor. If introduced through another part of the body, the persons immune system would sweep it away before it could reach the brain.

The idea of injecting a virus notorious for causing brain damage into peoples brains seems alarming, but Zika may be safer for use in adults because its primary targets neuroprogenitor cells are rare in the adult brain. The fetal brain, on the other hand, is loaded with such cells, which is part of the reason why Zika infection before birth produces widespread and severe brain damage, while natural infection in adulthood causes mild symptoms.

The researchers conducted additional studies of the virus using brain tissue from epilepsy patients and showed that the virus does not infect noncancerous brain cells.

As an additional safety feature, the researchers introduced two mutations that weakened the viruss ability to combat the cells defenses against infection, reasoning that the mutated virus still would be able to grow in tumor cells which have a poor antiviral defense system but would be eliminated quickly in healthy cells with a robust antiviral response.

When they tested the mutant viral strain and the original parental strain in glioblastoma stem cells, they found that the original strain was more potent, but that the mutant strain also succeeded in killing the cancerous cells.

Were going to introduce additional mutations to sensitize the virus even more to the innate immune response and prevent the infection from spreading, said Diamond, who also is a professor of molecular microbiology, and of pathology and immunology. Once we add a few more changes, I think its going to be impossible for the virus to overcome them and cause disease.

Zhu Z, Gorman MJ, McKenzie LD, Chai JN, Hubert CG, Prager BC, Fernandez E, Richner JM, Zhang R, Shan C, Wang X, Shi P-Y, Diamond MS, Rich JN, Chheda MG. Zika Virus Has Oncolytic Activity against Glioblastoma Stem Cells. The Journal of Experimental Medicine. Sept. 5, 2017.

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant numbers R01 AI073755, R01 AI104972, CA197718, CA154130, CA169117, CA171652, NS087913 and NS089272; the Pardee Foundation; the Concern Foundation; the Cancer Research Foundation and the McDonnell Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology of Washington University.

Washington University School of Medicines 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient-care institutions in the nation, currently ranked seventh in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

View post:
Zika virus kills brain cancer stem cells - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

A new cancer treatment will be sold for nearly half a million dollars, sparking criticism from some patient advocates.

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first gene therapy in the U.S. called Kymriah, which customize a patient's own immune cells to fight a type of leukemia through a therapy called CAR-T.

The drug's maker, Novartis, plans to sell the treatment for $475,000 for the one-time dose.

The company said the price is actually below some independent estimates, including an appraisal from the United Kingdom's National Institute for Cost Effectiveness that pegged a cost-effective price between $600,000 and $750,000.

"We looked at the current standards of care, such as the cost of allogenic stem cell transplants, which is between $540,000-$800,000 for the first year in the U.S.," Novartis said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "These external assessments as well as our own health economic analysis of the value of Kymriah, all indicated that a cost effective price would be $600,000 to $750,000."

Novartis said that by setting the price below that figure it could help to "support sustainability of the healthcare system and patient access while allowing a return for Novartis on our investment."

It added that it is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a value-based approach to the drug. That would mean that CMS payments for medicine would be based on how well it works on patients.

But some advocates are upset at the high price tag.

"Kymriah's price tag is simply a continuation of the pattern of sky-high launch prices that spins further out of control each year," according to the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, an advocacy group that includes insurers, nurses, hospitals and doctors. "While we are very excited about the potential for CAR-T therapies to save lives, Novartis' pricing decision disappointingly pushes an unsustainable trend even closer to the breaking point."

Other groups are more heartened by Novartis' value-based purchasing agreement with CMS.

"While we await more specific details of the agreement reached between Novartis and CMS, we believe this arrangement will be a win for patients, as it recognizes the need to reward outcomes and ensure the cost of treatment is a reflection of its clinical success," said Joel White, president of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, a coalition of employers, insurers and patient groups.

Read the original post:
Revolutionary cancer treatment comes with hefty price tag - Washington Examiner

The world loves meat. So much so that demand for meat products is projected to grow by nearly 70 percent by 2050. But meat production places a significant strain on the planets resources. Research shows that todays meat-producing efforts use one-third of the Earths fresh water and land surface, and generate nearly one-fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions.

But thats not going to stop most of us from eating it because its too darn delicious. The founders behind San Francisco-based Memphis Meats know this, and theyre responding with what could be a disruptive change to the trillion-dollar meat production industry. Memphis Meats is making clean meat. Its also delicious. But theres one problem: It costs about $18,000 a pound.

Well, thats what it costs right now. The hope is that itll cost a lot less in the future. To get the price down to a more palatable level for consumers, the company just raised $17 million (to add to a previous $5 million invested) from the likes of Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and other tech and venture superstars, including food industry giants like Cargill. All of them are super-jazzed by the idea of clean meat.

So what is this stuff?

Its meat thats grown from stem cells in a lab. It uses about 1 percent of the land and 10 percent of the water needed to raise traditional animals and will mostly eliminate the need to feed, breed and slaughter livestock. Plus, the technology works-the company has already produced beef, chicken and duck from stem cells. But, of course, theres a lot more work to do. So the company will be using its newly raised cash to scale up operations and reduce production costs while staffing up-hiring chefs, scientists, creative and business people.

Meat demand is growing rapidly around the world. However, the way conventional meat is produced today creates challenges for the environment, animal welfare and human health, Uma Valeti, the companys chief executive said in a press release. Were going to bring meat to the plate in a more sustainable, affordable and delicious way.

Memphis Meats isnt the only company racing to produce meats in the lab. Competitors like Mosa Foods, Beyond Meats and Impossible Foods (recently featured in a Washington Post piece by Caitlin Dewey) are also working on lab-grown meat products for mass public commercialization. Theres still a long way to go, but the infant industry looks like a great opportunity for both future entrepreneurs and investors. In the meantime, just pass the A-1 sauce, please?

Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based consulting firm and writes regularly for The Washington Posts On Small Business blog.

See the original post here:
Why are Bill Gates and Richard Branson investing in meat that costs $18000 a pound?, by Gene Marks - The Keene Sentinel

It is not everyday that a person gets the opportunity to save someones life. But a forgotten cheek swab over five years ago gave Eric Brown that opportunity. Eric is the BANK VI Hero of the Week.

Eric has worked the Salina Copy Co. for 22 years. Five years ago, while at a Kansas State University football game, he was approached by volunteers who were doing cheek swabs for DKMS, a national bone marrow donor program that works to match donors with cancer patients.

Hesitant at first, Eric finally gave into peer pressure as his friends began filling out the short form and getting their cheeks swabbed.

Eric said he had never even given blood before and was hesitant to even add organ donor to his drivers license but decided to participate anyway.

Five years after being added to the registry, Eric got the call; a 30-year-old Canadian woman with cancer needed a bone marrow transplant and Eric was her only match.

I questioned whether it was even real when I first got the call because they called the office while I was away, Eric said. So I did some research and the timelines matched up. It was all pretty strange at first.

For Eric, there wasnt much of a decision to make. He was flown to Washington, D.C. where he spent six hours in a chair as they collected stem cells from his blood. The stem cells saved the womans life. He later found out that the recipient wouldnt have lived through the end of the month without the transplant.

Eric said the whole experience had a profound affect on him. He has since started working with DKMS, collecting DNA samples through cheek swabs to add people to the registry.

There are about 14,000 people who require this transplant each year and half of them go wanting. Eric said that everyone has a match out there, it is just a matter of finding them and adding them to the registry.

We all have people we are matches with and it is just a matter of time before one of them needs. We were a match all along and it just came to the forefront when she was diagnosed.

Eric said he will continue to put on drives and if anyone is wanting to be added to the registry, they can visit Copy Co. at 2346 Planet Ave for more information.

Original post:
Eric Brown, BANK VI Hero of the Week - Salina Post