Cancer Vaccine, Cancer Treatment and New Cancer Discovery

First batch of cancer vaccine from Cancer Vaccine Collaborative goes into trial – The first batch of NY-ESO-1 recombinant protein produced in a facility supported entirely by non-profit entities has successfully cleared regulatory review and has entered clinical testing.

Discovery of compounds that selectively kills cancer stem cells – The researchers narrowed that list down to a handful of chemicals that they could readily get in sufficient quantities for further testing on normal cancer stem cells. Of those, one called salinomycin was the clear winner.

New method takes aim at aggressive cancer cells – The cells, known as cancer stem cells, are thought to enable cancers to spread — and to reemerge after seemingly successful treatment. Evidence is accumulating rapidly that cancer stem cells are responsible for the aggressive powers of many tumors …

Fighting Cancer With Anti-Psychotic Drugs – people taking medication for schizophrenia have lower cancer rates than other people. Rapidly-dividing cancer cells require cholesterol and lipids to grow and the researchers suspect that pimozide kills cancer cells by blocking the synthesis or movement of cholesterol and lipid in cancer cells.

OncoGenex Expands Clinical Development of OGX-427 with a Phase 1 Clinical Trial in Bladder Cancer – The study, which will enroll up to 36 patients with bladder cancer, is designed to determine the safety and potential benefit of OGX-427 administered directly into the bladder using a catheter, which is called intravesical instillation.

New Lung Cancer Vaccines May Lower Costs, Accelerate Treatment – The vaccines, which could be considered “personalized medicine,” are designed to stimulate the body’s natural defenses against cancer. By attacking proteins and molecules associated with cancer development, TCVs have the potential to shrink tumors and slow their growth.

Aspirin Use After Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis Associated With Improved Survival – Men and women who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and began regular use of aspirin had a lower risk of overall and colorectal cancer death compared to patients not using aspirin.

An “off switch” for cancer - Cancer cells divide uncontrollably and can move from one part of the body to another. DeWard and Art Alberts, identified a new mechanism for regulation of formins during cell division. Alberts said. “Our goal now is to exploit this information in the development of strategies to specifically stop the process of uncontrolled cell division that characterizes cancer.”

Scientists take the first step to targeted treatment for stomach cancer - Scientists explored the role of a protein called RAMP in stomach cancer cell lines and tissues, finding that it is more common in these cells compared to surrounding normal tissues.