All posts by Chris

Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

Chemicals Found in Leafy Greens May Prevent Colon Cancer

The number of colon cancer cases in the U.S. has been on the rise, especially among younger adults. Since effective cancer treatment for this disease can be hard to achieve, scientists are looking for better ways to prevent colon cancer. Vegetables might prove to be one way to reduce the risk of this disease.

Vegetable Chemicals and Gut Health

Researchers conducting a study on mice found that chemicals in certain vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, might play a key role in preventing colon cancer. These chemicals were found that help reduce the risk of gut inflammation and the development of colon cancer in mice.

The mice in this study were genetically modified and unable to naturally produce a certain protein that guards against gut inflammation. Scientists fed these mice vegetables containing chemicals needed to produce this protein and found that they did not develop colon cancer. The mice that were not fed these vegetables did not have this same protection and readily developed gut inflammation and colon cancer.

Colon Cancer Prevention in Humans

While the results of this study offer some hope, it’s important to keep in mind that they worked on mice. Further studies are needed to determine if the same results are found in humans. However, eating vegetables in general is considered a good way to boost your health and well-being.

Some studies have found that vegetables appear to offer protection against cancer in humans. Eating a healthy diet that includes these vegetables while also avoiding unhealthy foods may help reduce the risk of colon cancer and other cancers.

If you’re exploring cancer treatment options for colon cancer or other forms of cancer, please contact Issels® today. We can provide details on our immunotherapy modalities that are used to treat different kinds of cancer.

Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Researchers Learn How to Make Large Quantities of Immune Cells for Cancer Vaccines

Immunotherapy for cancer is all about boosting a patient’s natural defense systems. Thanks to a breakthrough by researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in NYC, scientists are now able to generate certain immune cells outside the body.

The Role of Dendritic Cells

Dendritic cells serve as an early warning system for the immune system. These cells give the signal to “arm” the system with disease-specific weapons. A major plus is that dendritic cells can attack all forms of cancer while causing few side effects.

Unfortunately, the down side is that dendritic cells are normally in short supply. Extracting them from patients to use in immunotherapy for cancer proves to be a difficult, time-consuming and expensive process.

Dendritic Cells and Immunotherapy

The research team at Mount Sinai discovered a way to grow human dendritic cells in vitro. According to Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, Director of Immunotherapy at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, the ability to generate these cells on a large scale opens the door for extensive studies of potential applications in highly refined cancer vaccines.

In another promising development, the study also provided insight into notch signaling. This biological pathway plays a major role in generating cDC1, which is the optimum dendritic cell for cancer vaccines. The team discovered that some current treatments disrupt notch signaling, which interferes with the immune system’s efficiency in fighting tumors.

Benefits of this study are twofold. In addition to applications for cancer treatments, the information may help prevent organ transplant rejection, which is another function of the immune system.

Longtime Leaders in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Issels® has long been in the forefront with dendritic cell therapy. Our non-toxic treatments are created to meet each patient’s individual needs. Contact us for more information.

Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

Will an Immune Profile Show if Immunotherapy Will be an Effective Cancer Treatment?

At Issels®, our cancer immunotherapy programs are tailored to fit a patient’s specific needs. Scientist have identified an immune profile that could lead to improved methods of determining which patients may benefit from treatment.

Building a Team of “Allies”

While T cells in the immune system are equipped to fight tumors, cancer cells frequently neutralize them by triggering the response that shuts T cells down. Checkpoint inhibitors are a form of immunotherapy that counteracts the process, enabling T cells to resume their job of attacking cancer cells.

Matthew “Max” Krummel, PhD, a leader in the field of immunotherapy, explains why his team broadened their focus to include other immune cells. They studied every type of cell in tumors to determine which ones could also activate T cells, forming a community of “allies.”

Boosting the T Cell Immune Response

Krummel, a member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, led his team in identifying a special class of dendritic cell, which they refer to as stimulatory dendritic cells, or SDCs. In subsequent studies, they found that both mice and humans with tumors had a poor response to checkpoint inhibitors if they lacked SDCs.

The research team went on to explore why different patients have different SDC levels. They discovered a direct correlation between levels of a specific cytokine, expressed by natural killer cells, and levels of SDC.

Kevin Barry, PhD and leader of the latest study, said the results hold promising implications for two applications. NK cells and SDCs could be used as biomarkers to predict successful immunotherapy, while increasing NK cell levels in other patients could improve their response to treatment.

State-of-the-Art Cancer Immunotherapy

For years, Issels® has been a leader of integrating dendritic and NK cells in our cancer immunotherapy treatments. Contact us to learn more.

Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

Fevers Boost the Immune Response – New Study Focuses on the Cancer Connection

Most people just want to crawl back into bed when they’re running a fever. Who would have thought there may be a positive aspect to feeling so bad? Incredibly, a published study indicates there may be a connection between fever and cancer immunotherapy.

What Is a Fever?

Infectious fever is one of the immune system responses to foreign organisms. When bacteria known as exogenous pyrogens enter the body, it triggers the immune system to produce endogenous pyrogens, or mediators, to fight them. This begins a chain of events that culminates in a rising temperature.

Endogenous mediators include cytokines, such as interleukins and interferons. During a fever, these mediators redirect metabolic substrates and energy, resulting in a higher range of immune effectors. One such effector is lymphocytes that express gd T cells.

How a Fever Affects the Immune System

A fever generates large numbers of gamma delta T cells. These cells are valuable in fighting infection that initiates the fever response. They also have potent anti-tumor properties, which may have applications for cancer immunotherapy methods. This process indicates that a high incidence of fevers may actually reduce the risk of cancer.

Past research has largely involved alpha beta T cells. While the connection between the fever response and cancer is still largely anecdotal, researchers now have a foundation to expand studies on the topic along with possible clinical benefits. This specific study, based on patient accounts documented over several decades, was first published in Quarterly Review of Biology.

Cancer Immunotherapy: The Issels® Difference

Our personally tailored immunotherapy programs are designed to help the body’s own immune system fight tumors. These non-toxic vaccines and cell therapies avoid the adverse side effects that accompany many traditional cancer treatments. Visit our website to learn more about the Issels® Difference.

Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

T-cell Senescence & Exhaustion Causing Immune Suppression Are Studied for Potential Therapy

Did you know that cells can become “tired?” Researchers explain why new discoveries on this topic have implications for improving the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.

When T-Cells Lose Their Effectiveness

T-cells, which play a vital role in the immune system’s response to cancer, can reach a dysfunctional state known as senescence and exhaustion. Much as in humans, T-cells may get to this point naturally, simply as a result of aging. Tumors and tumor microenvironments can also trigger this process.

Not surprisingly, T-cell exhaustion results in vulnerability to infection, as the immune system loses the strength to fight off foreign organisms. Preventive vaccines become less effective, as does the T-cell response to tumor antigens.

Can T-Cell Exhaustion Be Reversed?

Recent research regarding T-cell exhaustion was reviewed by a team of researchers from Jinan University in Guangzhou, China. Yangqiu Li, MD, is lead author of the report, which was published in the Journal of Hematology & Oncology.

The good news, according to Dr. Li’s team, is that scientists have identified candidate biomarkers for T-cell exhaustion, making it easier to conduct targeted research. Eventually, the goal is to discover methods of restoring weakened T-cells to the point where they can again battle tumors with the aid of cancer immunotherapy.

One promising avenue involves the thymus, which is the gland in the lymphatic system that produces T-cells. In studies involving older adult mice, bioengineered thymus organoids and combination-cytokine techniques have demonstrated the ability to improve T-cell function.

State-of-the-Art Cancer Immunotherapy

At Issels®, our non-toxic, individually tailored immunotherapy programs have helped patients with advanced cancer achieve remission, even when other treatments have been unsuccessful. We stay current with research to ensure our protocols incorporate the latest developments.

Contact us today to learn more about “the Issels® difference.”

Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

Results in Clinical Trials May Not Represent Results in Real Life Treatment

For patients who choose to undergo immunotherapy for cancer, new medications are often available more quickly than usual. In fact, a new study found that new medications used in immunotherapy start being used faster than the standard practice for other new medical treatments. Some of this is due to the results of clinical trials, but there are a few potential problems to consider.

Age of Clinical Trial Participants

One of the most notable differences between clinical trial participants and cancer patients is age. Those who took part in clinical trials for immunotherapy treatments tended to be younger than those treated in clinical practice. Clinical trial participants were mainly in their late 50s or early 60s, while cancer patients treated clinically were 65 and older. Knowing more about how real world populations respond to newly adopted medications for cancer involves doing more research.

Early vs. Later Clinical Trials

Another problem with beginning the use of immunotherapy medications more quickly than usual is the risk of having later clinical trials show different results compared to early trials. Fast approval is often based on the findings of early clinical trials, but there is a risk of having later trials find that medications are harmful or not as effective.

Recommendations for Rapid Adoption

Experts recommend running clinical trials that include participants who are similar to real world populations of cancer patients. Doing this should help provide findings that better reflect results for real world populations. Other recommendations include avoiding basing approval on small studies, the use of atypical patient populations, and studies that don’t compare the treatment with current alternative options that are available.

For more information on immunotherapy for cancer, please contact Issels® today. We can provide additional information on this type of cancer treatment.