Neoantigens , Dendritic Cells, and T Cells Target the Attack on Cancer

Knowing What Every Vocab Word Related to Cancer Is Important.
Knowing What Every Vocab Word Related to Cancer Is Important.

Immunotherapy cancer treatment continues to be a focus for scientists, who are excited about the number of possibilities it holds for patients. A Harvard-based research team recently conducted a study showing how neoantigens can be used to personalize treatment methods.

Neoantigens and the Immune Response

Neoantigens are tumor-specific mutated peptides that the diseased cells present on their surface. These neoantigens stimulate an immune system response by activating dendritic cells (DCs), which in turn initiate an attack on the tumor by T cells.

The challenge became how to integrate different peptides into a form that was readily acceptable to the immune system. David Mooney and his team at Harvard set out to solve the problem with the use of a vaccine delivery system.

The vaccine created by the researchers features tiny mesoporous silica rods (MSRs) coated with polyethyleneimine (PEI), which is a polymer that delivers material to cells. Once the vaccine is injected under the skin, the MSRs spontaneously form a 3-D scaffold to attract and stimulate DCs.

Fighting Recurrence of Tumors

When tested on mice, not only did the vaccine activate anti-tumor responses, it created an immune-specific memory that continued to reject tumor cells for at least six months. According to Mooney, the scaffold structure will allow for greater personalization of cancer treatment as doctors are increasingly able to predict the neoantigens present in individual tumors.

Cancer Treatments Designed for Each Patient

Issels® has long been in the forefront of using personally tailored cancer treatment, including dendritic cell vaccines, to meet a patient’s specific needs. Contact us for more information about our non-toxic, integrative treatment programs.

Take Care with Antibiotics Now to Prevent Cancer Treatment Hampering Reactions

In Order To Achieve the Best Cancer Care Possible, You Must First Make Sure Your Body is Open to These Options to Its Best Ability.
In Order To Achieve the Best Cancer Care Possible, You Must First Make Sure Your Body is Open to These Options to Its Best Ability.

Doctors always take care when prescribing combinations of drugs due to possible negative interactions. It’s not surprising that mounting evidence indicates the complex balance of targeted cancer treatment can be upset by use of antibiotics.

Disrupting the Body’s Natural Defenses

According to results of a study conducted at the Georgia Cancer Center, this problem stems from the effect of antibiotics on gut microbiota, the network of bacteria, viruses and fungi that resides in the digestive tract. These “good” germs aid with digestion and protect our system from “bad” germs.

In the process of killing off microorganisms that cause infections, antibiotics also destroy large amounts of gut bacteria. As a result, patients on a course of antibiotics often experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

The Connection Between Gut Bacteria and Cancer Treatment

Dr. Gang Zhou, corresponding author of the study, explained that certain bacteria in the microbiota are necessary to activate the T-cells involved in cancer treatment known as adoptive T-cell therapy. A newer form of treatment called CAR T-cell therapy appears to be resistant to the antibiotic effect because it works on its own, with little reliance on the immune system.

Co-author Dr. Locke Bryan pointed out that antibiotics are often used in conjunction with chemotherapy. This traditional cancer treatment lowers white blood cell counts to the point where there’s no defense against bacteria, and an infection can be lethal to an already weakened immune system.

Individualized Treatment Plans for Specific Needs

Our personally tailored immunobiologic core treatments are designed to remove or repair factors that inhibit the body’s natural defense mechanisms. Contact us for more information.

Prevent Colon Cancer with Our Protective Diet Tips

Prevent Colon Cancer with Our Protective Diet Tips
Prevent Colon Cancer with Our Protective Diet Tips

The best cancer treatment can take place without even being diagnosed with the disease. Be proactive with diet and lifestyle changes to reduce your chances of developing colon cancer.

Tips to Prevent Colon Cancer

Dr. Charles Fuchs is the director of Yale Cancer Center. He recently appeared on local TV to promote Colon Cancer Awareness Month by offering these helpful tips to lower your risk:

– According to a recent Yale study, eating nuts can reduce the risk of colon cancer recurrence. More than 800 colon cancer patients completed a questionnaire about diet and lifestyle, and the responses showed that those who ate nuts regularly had a corresponding increase in their chances of a cure.

– Maintain a healthy weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that obesity-related cancers account for approximately 40 percent of all cancer diagnoses in the U.S. Limiting the amount of red meat in your diet can make a big difference.

– Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer, and according to the National Cancer Institute, even moderate drinking is associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer.

Exercise regularly. Scientists believe physical activity can reduce the amount of time that harmful compounds are in the gastrointestinal tract.

– Get screened for colon cancer. Doctors recommend that adults 50 and over receive a colonoscopy every 10 years.

Integrative Cancer Treatment at Issels®

Nutritional immunotherapy is only one component of our integrative cancer treatment programs. Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive non-toxic therapies that boost the ability of your body’s own immune system to fight cancer.

Coley’s Toxin – the First Immunotherapy?

Coley's Toxin - the First Immunotherapy?
Coley’s Toxin – the First Immunotherapy?

When it comes to cancer treatment, immunotherapy is a hot buzzword right now, but it may not be as new as it seems. Many scientists believe that the first immunotherapy treatments date back to the late 1800s.

Coley’s Toxins: The Original Immunotherapy?

William Coley, a surgeon in turn-of-the-century New York, made a peculiar discovery about one of his patients. Fred Stein, who had been diagnosed with cancer, began making a recovery after contracting a serious infection.

Dr. Coley thought that perhaps bacteria from the infection jump-started Stein’s immune system, causing it to attack the tumors. This experience inspired the doctor to begin treating inoperable cancer patients with bacterial injections that came to be known as Coley’s toxins.

While Coley’s treatments did achieve some success, there was little documentation to support his findings. As a result, the doctor’s peers continued to favor radiation and chemotherapy as cancer treatments of choice.

A Man Ahead of His Time

For all intents and purposes, Dr. Coley’s methods died with him in 1936. Now, more than 80 years later, immunotherapy cancer treatment is “here to stay,” according to Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, chief executive of the Cancer Research Institute.

Immunotherapies known as checkpoint inhibitors are some of the top-selling drugs around the world. Checkpoint inhibitors follow Dr. Coley’s principle of boosting the body’s own immune response.

Dr. Josef M. Issels: A Pioneer of Immunotherapy

We’re proud to carry on the legacy of our founder, Dr. Josef M. Issels, who was also an early proponent of immunotherapy cancer treatment. Contact Issels® for more information about our individually created immunotherapy programs.

UCLA Research Shows Chimeric Antigen Receptors May Boost Immune System Response to Fight Cancer

UCLA Research Shows Chimeric Antigen Receptors May Boost Immune System Response to Fight Cancer
UCLA Research Shows Chimeric Antigen Receptors May Boost Immune System Response to Fight Cancer

Tumors have a number of ways to avoid detection and attack by the body’s immune system, making them difficult to eliminate. In a victory for cancer immunotherapy, scientists have created a synthetic protein with the ability to reverse these defenses.

Overcoming Safeguards of Tumor Cells

Most diseased cells carry proteins called antigens that trigger a response from T cells in the immune system, resulting in neutralization of the threat. In contrast, tumor cells secrete immunosuppressive cytokines, and these soluble proteins disable the immune response from T cells.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which received FDA approval in 2017, has been successfully used to treat blood cancers such as leukemia. Unfortunately, these therapies have not had a similar effect on solid tumors.

Making Cancer Work Against Itself

Building on the principle of CARs and their power to counteract the defenses of cancer cells, a team of scientists at UCLA engineered CARs to respond to soluble proteins along with surface-bound antigens. In effect, cancer’s primary weapon ends up acting as an instrument of its own destruction.

Since these CARs are engineered, it opens up the possibility of using this method to create cancer immunotherapy treatments for other applications. The UCLA team has already engineered CARs that respond to various soluble proteins, including transforming growth factor (TGF) beta.

Cancer Immunotherapy: Boosting the Body’s Own Immune System

Our individually developed immunotherapy programs focus on restoring the body’s immune system and its natural defense mechanisms. These programs are non-toxic, without the adverse side effects that often accompany chemotherapy and other traditional cancer treatments.

Visit our website for more information.

“Superblood” Engineered to Carry Cancer Fighting Proteins

"Superblood" Engineered to Carry Cancer Fighting Proteins
“Superblood” Engineered to Carry Cancer Fighting Proteins

Super powers are usually the stuff of comic books and movies, but a biotech startup may be turning fiction into reality with the development of “superblood” as a revolutionary new cancer treatment.

“Supercharging” Red Blood Cells

Rubius Therapeutics is working on a program called Red-Cell Therapeutics (RCT), which involves red blood cells that are genetically engineered to fight cancer. Once introduced into a patient’s system, these proteins can replace missing enzymes and help the immune system attack and destroy cancer cells.

RCT has two major advantages that make it a promising breakthrough in cancer treatment:

– The nuclei have been removed from these cells so they can’t be recognized by the immune system, leaving them free from interference so they can do their job.

– Red blood cells travel throughout the entire body, so RCT is able to easily reach any affected organs or tissues.

Thanks to these two features, RCT has the potential to treat patients without the need for an individually developed solution.

What’s Next?

Initially, Rubius Therapeutics generated $120 million from investors. The company recently raised an additional $100 million for a total of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in less than one year. According to Rubius president Torben Straight Nissen, this funding will help accelerate RCT development for quicker delivery to the end users.

Issels®: The Leader in Immunotherapy Cancer Treatments

Much like RCT, cancer treatment at Issels® is designed to boost the immune system’s ability to attack and kill cancer cells. Contact us to learn more about cancer vaccines and other programs we have used to help patients achieve long-term remission.