 |
|
Infectious disease researchers develop basis for experimental melanoma treatment
December 08, 2006While investigating a fungus known to cause an infection in people with AIDS, two grantees of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), unexpectedly discovered a potential strategy for treating metastatic melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. The treatment approach, which involves combining an antibody with radiation, has since been further developed and is expected to enter early-stage human clinical studies in 2007.
"This is an excellent example of how scientific research in one discipline may have payoffs in a completely unpredictable way," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "This important AIDS-related research has led to the development of a promising therapeutic strategy for a terrible cancer that affects thousands of people each year."
Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University, in New York City, and his research team began studying the biology of the skin pigment melanin to better understand why its synthesis plays a role in the process whereby certain yeast-like fungi, specifically Cryptococcus neoformans, cause disease in some people. C. neoformans can cause cryptococcosis, a potentially fatal fungal infection that can lead to inflammation of the brain and death in people with AIDS and other immunocompromised individuals.
The researchers created an infection-fighting antibody, known as a monoclonal antibody, that binds to melanin based on scientific evidence suggesting that when melanin is synthesized, it causes the immune system to react in a way that might create antibodies to fend off C. neoformans infection. Based on this finding, Dr. Casadevall theorized that melanomas might contain melanin that would allow the monoclonal antibody to deliver radiation to tumor cells. Dr. Casadevall then teamed with his colleague Ekaterina Dadachova, Ph.D., an expert in nuclear medicine and fellow NIAID grantee, to investigate whether the melanin-binding antibody could be converted into an anti-tumor drug.
In a study published in October 2004, Dr. Casadevall and Dr. Dadachova, the study's lead author, combined the C. neoformans monoclonal antibodies with radiation to create radiolabeled antibodies. They then tested these radiolabeled antibodies in mice to determine their effectiveness in attacking melanoma tumors. Initially, the mice had melanoma tumors ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 centimeters (cm) in diameter. After receiving a single dose of the radiolabeled antibodies, tumor growth was completely inhibited and near total tumor regression occurred in those animals with smaller tumors (0.6 to 0.7 cm in diameter). Further, the treated mice showed no signs of kidney or other organ damage and none died during the 30-day study. Conversely, tumors continued to aggressively grow in the untreated control group and by day 20, all but one of the eight untreated mice had died.
In November 2006, Pain Therapeutics, Inc., a San Francisco-based biopharmaceutical company, licensed the radiolabeled monoclonal antibody technology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The company intends to begin testing it as a metastatic melanoma treatment in small human clinical trials in 2007. According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma accounts for approximately five percent of all skin cancers but causes roughly 75 percent of all skin cancer-related deaths.
Dr. Casadevall credits his promising discovery to luck and a hunch that paid off. "Scientific breakthroughs often occur completely through serendipity, and this is just one of those instances," says Dr. Casadevall. "We're still working on cryptococcosis and developing a general strategy for using radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to fight infectious diseases."
His laboratory continues to examine the underlying causes of cryptococcosis, and in continued collaboration with Dr. Dadachova, is exploring the use of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to treat infectious diseases.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
The researchers created an infection-fighting antibody, known as a monoclonal antibody, that binds to melanin based on scientific evidence suggesting that when melanin is synthesized, it causes the immune system to react in a way that might create antibodies to fend off C. neoformans infection. Based on this finding, Dr. Casadevall theorized that melanomas might contain melanin that would allow the monoclonal antibody to deliver radiation to tumor cells. Dr. Casadevall then teamed with his colleague Ekaterina Dadachova, Ph.D., an expert in nuclear medicine and fellow NIAID grantee, to investigate whether the melanin-binding antibody could be converted into an anti-tumor drug.
In a study published in October 2004, Dr. Casadevall and Dr. Dadachova, the study's lead author, combined the C. neoformans monoclonal antibodies with radiation to create radiolabeled antibodies. They then tested these radiolabeled antibodies in mice to determine their effectiveness in attacking melanoma tumors. Initially, the mice had melanoma tumors ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 centimeters (cm) in diameter. After receiving a single dose of the radiolabeled antibodies, tumor growth was completely inhibited and near total tumor regression occurred in those animals with smaller tumors (0.6 to 0.7 cm in diameter). Further, the treated mice showed no signs of kidney or other organ damage and none died during the 30-day study. Conversely, tumors continued to aggressively grow in the untreated control group and by day 20, all but one of the eight untreated mice had died.
In November 2006, Pain Therapeutics, Inc., a San Francisco-based biopharmaceutical company, licensed the radiolabeled monoclonal antibody technology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The company intends to begin testing it as a metastatic melanoma treatment in small human clinical trials in 2007. According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma accounts for approximately five percent of all skin cancers but causes roughly 75 percent of all skin cancer-related deaths.
Dr. Casadevall credits his promising discovery to luck and a hunch that paid off. "Scientific breakthroughs often occur completely through serendipity, and this is just one of those instances," says Dr. Casadevall. "We're still working on cryptococcosis and developing a general strategy for using radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to fight infectious diseases."
His laboratory continues to examine the underlying causes of cryptococcosis, and in continued collaboration with Dr. Dadachova, is exploring the use of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to treat infectious diseases.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Melanoma Current Events and Melanoma News RSSLaser therapy can aggravate skin cancer
High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas.
Quarter of a million children in England at risk of skin cancer from sunbeds
An estimated quarter of a million 11-17 year olds in England are being put at increased risk of developing malignant melanoma by using sunbeds, warn researchers in a letter to this week's BMJ.
Hundreds of genes distinguish patients likely to survive advanced melanoma
Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs.
New Notre Dame study provides insights into the molecular basis of tumor cell behavior
A new study by a team of researchers led by Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, sheds light on the molecular basis by which tumor cells modulate their surroundings to favor cancer progression.
Switching immunosuppressants reduces cancer risk in kidney
Switching to a newer type of immunosuppressant drug may reduce the high rate of skin cancer after kidney transplantation, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA.
Cancer survivors may not be getting the help they need to stop smoking
More than a quarter of cancer survivors who still smoke have not been advised to quit smoking by their health care providers in the last year, according to a study published by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in the current issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Melanoma treatment options 1 step closer
A targeted chemotherapy for the treatment of skin cancer is one step closer, after a team of University of Alberta researchers successfully synthesized a natural substance that shows exceptional potential to specifically treat this often fatal disease.
Resident physicians seldom trained in skin cancer examination
Many resident physicians are not trained in skin cancer examinations, nor have they ever observed or practiced the procedure.
New findings on the formation of body pigment
The skin's pigment cells can be formed from completely different cells than has hitherto been thought, a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows. The results, which are published in the journal Cell, also mean the discovery of a new kind of stem cell.
Studying cancer in pet dogs to find new treatments for human patients
A team of scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, USA, says that studying pet dogs with cancer could yield valuable information on how to diagnose and treat human cancers.
More Melanoma Current Events and Melanoma News Articles
 |
Understanding Melanoma: What You Need to Know by Perry Robins; MD and Maritza Perez; MD (Author) Newly updated and now in its third edition, this handbook is written for melanoma patients, their families and friends, health professionals, and every person with an interest in the disease. This valuable book, written by two eminent dermatologist, tells all about melanoma from the moment of diagnosis through state- of-the-art treatments. Honest and straightforward, but reassuring in tone. Contrary to what many people fear, there is an excellent chance for a long and healthy life after diagnosis. Early warning signs and a step-by-step illustrated guide to self- examination of the skin are presented along with answers to the 25 questions most frequently asked about melanoma. There are specially-complied listing of information sources and support groups, a glossary which defines... |
 |
The Definitive Guide to Melanoma by Lowndes Harrison MD (Author) The reassuring tone and clear explanations in this medical handbook provide valuable information to patients and family members struggling to understand a diagnosis of melanoma. Each year, more than 50,000 people in the U.S. learn that they have melanoma, and many of them are either young or elderly. This guide fills the information gap that develops between the initial diagnosis in the doctor's office and the treatment that follows. In easily understood layman's terms, a practicing oncologist explains the causes and symptoms of the disease, and provides extensive information on management and treatment of this most lethal form of skin cancer. |
 |
Melanoma: Prevention, Detection, and Treatment; Second Edition (Yale University Press Health & Wellness) by Catherine M. Poole (Author), IV DuPont Guerry (Author) The incidence of melanoma has increased by 2000% since 1930, and one person dies each hour from the disease. This cutting-edge guide provides scientifically accurate information patients and their families need in order to understand melanoma and its treatment and to receive vital reassurance. It is also a resource for those who want information about preventing the disease or finding it early when it is most curable. Catherine M. Poole, a melanoma survivor and melanoma patient advocate for many national organizations, and Dr. DuPont Guerry, an internationally renowned melanoma expert, have collaborated to provide current, correct, and easily understood information on the disease. The authors have had first hand contact with a multitude of patients with melanoma, and they understand... |
 |
What You Really Need to Know about Moles and Melanoma (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) by Jill R. Schofield MD (Author), William A. Robinson MD PhD (Author) Throughout the world, the incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing at an alarming rate. This dramatic rise is largely due to more frequent and prolonged exposure to intense sun, the result of major changes in clothing styles, recreation, and lifestyle (including widespread access to midwinter resort vacations). Significantly, recent scientific studies have shown an increased number of moles on, and a higher rate of melanoma in, people with the greatest sunscreen use, pointing out the mistaken belief that using sunscreen means getting a "safe" tan. The truth is that most sunscreen provides protection from UVB rays—the rays that cause the sunburn you see and feel—but not from UVA rays—the cancer-causing rays that penetrate deeper into the skin. In this book, physicians... |
 |
100 Questions & Answers about Melanoma & Other Skin Cancers by Edward F. McClay (Author), Mary-Eileen T. McClay (Author), Jodie Smith (Author) Whether you're a newly diagnosed skin cancer patient, a survivor, or a friend of either, this book offers help. The only text to provde the doctor and a patient's view, 100 Questions & Answers About Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, post-treatment quality of life, sources of support, and much more. Written by two skin healthcare professionals and a melanoma survivor, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of this frightening disease. |
 |
The Melanoma Book: A Complete Guide to Prevention and Treatment, Including the Early DetectionSelf-Exam Body Map by Howard L. Kaufman (Author) From the founder and Co-Director of the renowned Columbia University Melanoma Center, the first comprehensive guide to help you prevent—and survive—a diagnosis of melanoma. The fastest rising form of cancer worldwide, melanoma can strike at any age. Although rates of cure are higher than they used to be, experts often disagree about the best course of treatment and patients face a bewildering array of possibilities—often with precious little time to choose. Drawing on his years as one of the nation’s foremost researchers and specialists in the field of melanoma treatment, Dr. Howard L. Kaufman shares his easy- to-follow, whole-life plan for detecting melanoma early, making informed decisions after a diagnosis, and taking an active role in treatment. |
 |
Textbook of Melanoma: Pathology, Diagnosis and Management by John F. Thompson (Editor), Donald L. Morton (Editor), Bin B.R. Kroon (Editor) Second author, Donald L. Morton, is with Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA. Definitive reference covers all aspects on the diagnosis and management of the various primary and metastatic forms of melanoma. Discusses various treatment options and rehabilitation for melanoma and includes the latest techniques in sentinel lymph node biopsy. |
 |
Melanoma Skin Cancer Awareness Black Genuine Swarovski Crystal Bracelet by SilverSpeck.com This Beautiful Black Genuine Swarovski Crystal Bracelet Is the Perfect Bracelet you have been waiting for. It has a Sparking Glimmer and is beaded on a Comfort Stretch band. Crystal beads can also be used to create your own jewelry! Very Stylish and Pretty! |
 |
Cure Intraocular Melanoma T-shirt Large White by Shop Zeus |
 |
Understanding Melanoma (Home Use) Part of the award winning public television series Healthy Body/Healthy Mind. Melanoma is one of the most common forms of cancer, affecting more than 53,600 Americans each year. No one knows the exact causes of melanoma and doctors can rarely explain why one person gets melanoma and another does not. However, research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely to develop melanoma than others. People who are concerned about developing melanoma should talk with their doctor about the disease and the symptoms to watch for. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |