Skip to main content

Stem cell shield 'could protect cancer patients'

 Brain tumour  
The trial is being conducted on patients with brain cancer




It may be possible to use "stem cell shielding" to protect the body from the damaging effects of chemotherapy, early results from a US trial suggest.
Chemotherapy drugs try to kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but they can also affect other healthy tissues such as bone marrow.
A study, in Science Translational Medicine, used genetically modified stem cells to protect the bone marrow.
Cancer Research UK said it was a "completely new approach".
The body constantly churns out new blood cells in the hollow spaces inside bone. However, bone marrow is incredibly susceptible to chemotherapy.
The treatment results in fewer white blood cells being produced, which increases the risk of infection, and fewer red blood cells, which leads to shortness of breath and tiredness.
Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, said these effects were "a major barrier" to using chemotherapy and often meant the treatment had to be stopped, delayed or reduced.
'Protective shields' They have tried to protect the bone marrow in three patients with a type of brain cancer, glioblastoma.
One of the researchers, Dr Jennifer Adair, said: "This therapy is analogous to firing at both tumour cells and bone marrow cells, but giving the bone marrow cells protective shields while the tumour cells are unshielded."
Bone marrow was taken from the patients and stem cells, which produce blood, were isolated. A virus was then used to infect the cells with a gene which protected the cells against a chemotherapy drug. The cells were then put back into the patient.
The lead author of the report, Prof Hans-Peter Kiem, said: "We found that patients were able to tolerate the chemotherapy better, and without negative side effects, after transplantation of the gene-modified stem cells than patients in previous studies who received the same type of chemotherapy without a transplant of gene-modified stem cells."
The researchers said the three patients had all lived longer than the average survival time of 12 months for the cancer. They said one patient was still alive 34 months after treatment.
Cancer Research UK scientist Prof Susan Short said: "This is a very interesting study and a completely new approach to protecting normal cells during cancer treatment.
"It needs to be tested in more patients but it may mean that we can use temozolomide [a chemotherapy drug] for more brain tumour patients than we previously thought.
"This approach could also be a model for other situations where the bone marrow is affected by cancer treatment."

Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18007789
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to use digital X-ray Or RVG with Apple iPad , iPhone. The Kodak RVG 6500

iPad Innovation is the key to development and dentistry is not an exception.First there was no radiograph then came conventional radiograph then came high speed radiograph and Digital radiograph or RVG  and now Apple iPad. You will say ( What ! an iPad?)  yes an iPad. It's an innovation by Apple inc.which has been accepted by medical and dental field warmly.I have discussed How to upgrade your dental practice with Apple iPad in earlier post and written about the change this gadget can bring.You can check  10 free iPad application for dentists Today in Digital Radiograph or RVG we shoot an X-ray few moments later it appears on the computer screen and then you interpret it and discuss it with your patients. Now Kodak have made a RVG system which is iPad compatible and if you have an iPad or iPhone you can see and review this X-ray image directly on your gadget write reports and save it. You must have Two thing for it. 1.RVG Mobile software in your iPad...
3 comments
Read more

The Calla lilly prep in endodontics !!

During patient treatment, the clinician needs to consider many factors that will affect the ultimate outcome. In simple terms, these factors can be grouped into 3 categories: (I) operator needs, (II) restoration needs, (III) the tooth needs. (I)The operator needs are the conditions the clinician needs to treat the tooth. (II) The restoration needs are the prep dimensions and tooth conditions for optimal strength and longevity. (III)The tooth needs are the biologic and structural limitations for a treated tooth to remain predictably functional. The Cala Lilly is a flower and is the new model for composite preparations. SOURCE: Modern Molar Endodontic Access and Directed Dentin Conservation, David Clark et al,2010
1 comment
Read more

Articulator

Articulators    DEFINATION:  A Mechanical device that represents the temperomandibular joints and jaw members to which maxillary and mandibular casts may be attached to stimulate some or all of the mandibular movements. PURPOSES 1.   To  hold the maxillary and mandibular casts  in a determined fixed relationship. 2. Mounting of dental casts  for diagnosis treatment planning and patient presentation.   3.To simulate the jaw movement like  opening and closing. 4. Fabrication of  occlusal surfaces  for dental restoration. 5.  Arrangement of artificial teeth  for complete and removable partial denture.       USE      1. To diagnose the  state of occlusion in both  the natural and artificial dentition      2.   To plan the  dental procedures  based on the relationship between opposing natural and        ...
2 comments
Read more