Stem Cell Funding

[RandyW]

Researchers Develop Embryonic Stem Cell Vaccine That Prevents Lung Cancer In Mice

Adapted from the University of Louisville School of Medicine

A team of researchers at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center have discovered that vaccinating mice with embryonic stem cells can prevent lung cancer.

Their findings, presented today at an international cancer symposium in Prague, Czech Republic, suggest that it could be possible to develop embryonic stem cell vaccines that prevent cancers in humans at high risk, such as hereditary breast and colon cancer and lung cancer caused by smoking and other environmental factors.

“Our results raise the exciting possibility of developing a vaccine capable of preventing the appearance of various types of cancers in humans, especially those with hereditary or environmental predispositions for developing disease,” said Eaton.

However, he warned that the work was still in its very early stages and that, while the results in mice look promising, it could be some time before this approach is tested in humans.

Eaton and Mitchell found that, in the case of implanted lung cancer cells, the vaccine was consistently 80-100 percent effective in preventing tumor outgrowth. All non-vaccinated control animals developed tumors.

The researchers tried the experiment again four months after the initial vaccination and again, mice given lung cancer cells did not develop tumors, suggesting that the effect of the vaccination is long lasting. The equivalent period in a human would be more than ten years.

In a model of lung cancer development that mimics smoking, mice vaccinated after exposure to carcinogens developed almost no tumors and those few that did appear were much smaller than in non-vaccinated mice.

Cells discovered at MIT may play role in lung cancer

June 29, 2005

Researchers at the MIT Center for Cancer Research have discovered the first stem cells of the lung, cells that could be responsible for one type of lung cancer.

This finding may aid in the development of early detection strategies for lung cancer, the leading cause of death from cancer worldwide. The work appears in the June 17 issue of Cell.

"This work has identified a new population of cells that links the normal biology of the lung to lung cancer development," said Tyler Jacks, David H. Koch Professor of Biology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR) director and leader of the MIT team.

The research team utilized a mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma, the most common subtype of non small cell lung cancer.

"We identified a population of cells that were quite rare in the normal lungs, but increased in the lungs of cancer-prone mice before tumors developed. This indicated that they may be the first cells to respond to the genetic defect in this mouse model, ultimately resulting in cancer," said Carla Bender Kim, CCR postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study.

The team suspected that they might actually be stem cells, which are unspecialized cells that maintain an adult tissue and are thought to play a role in the formation and maintenance of tumors.

In order to study them further, Bender Kim and her colleagues developed a novel method to separate and isolate the cells according to the unique combination of proteins present on their surface. The researchers then showed that the cells possess the ability to self-renew and develop into multiple different cell types in the lung -- the two hallmark features of stem cells. They named them BASCs, or bronchioalveolar stem cells, a reference to their ability to develop into both bronchiolar and alveolar epithelial cells of the lung.

Improved knowledge of stem cell populations in the adult lung could allow for new approaches to the treatment of chronic diseases of the lung.

Although lung cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, it has the highest mortality rate because the majority of lung cancers are detected at an advanced stage of disease in which the tumor has spread beyond the lung. In these cases, the five-year survival rate is very low, whereas the survival rate for patients with early stage, localized lung cancer is 50 percent.

"This work holds great promise for developing more effective methods of detecting tumors early enough to treat them effectively," said Jacks, who is also an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "The existence of these cells in established tumors may also be very important for cancer therapy."

Other MIT CCR researchers include former graduate student Erica Jackson, research technicians Amber Woolfenden and Denise Crowley, and undergraduates Sharon Lawrence and Sinae Vogel. Roderick Bronson of Tufts University Medical Veterinary School and Imran Babar of Carleton College also contributed to this work.

Support for this work comes from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium of the National Cancer Institute. Bender Kim is a Merck Fellow of The Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research.

FOR MORE INFO ON STEM CELL RESEARCH AND SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND GUIDELINES AS GOVERNED BY TH NIH Click on the Link below to be rdirected;

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/faqs.asp

[sharonjo]

Great news! Thanks for posting!

[Laura Ann]

Randy,

"Stem Cell Funding and why it will help in research"

I don't find this mentioned anywhere in the article...am I overlooking somthing???

Laura

[RandyW]

No my mistake this morning when I though this out did not completely think it out. Will continue research. My mistake, Sorry!!!!

[RandyW]

Harkin: Time right to fund stem cell research

By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin is optimistic the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research can be overturned by congressional action in 2007.

As the Senate gaveled into a new two-year session, the Democrat senator from Iowa said he would on Thursday introduce two bills, one allowing federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research and another to wean U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Harkin said the 109th Congress in 2006 passed stem cell funding legislation overwhelmingly in both chambers, but Bush overturned it with the sole veto of his presidency. Harkin said that was a misguided veto, since stem cell research holds promise for Americans suffering with Lou Gehrig's disease, Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes.

The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research unveiled a May 2006 poll showing that nearly three-fourths of Americans support embryonic stem cell research, but it is criticized by pro-life conservatives like Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King, who tie the issue of destroying living human embryos to abortion.

In his veto, Bush said his administration made $90 million in federal funding available for "embryonic stem cell lines derived from embryos that had already been destroyed," but that compelling federal funding for the "deliberate destruction of human embryos... would be a grave mistake."

As Bush made his veto last July, King said research that would involve "killing human embryos" for "morally controversial research" should not be pursued.

Harkin said he has no doubt both chambers will again easily approve the stem cell funding bill (S.5), which will be worded exactly as the one that passed last year. The Senate bill is being introduced by four Democrats and three Republicans.

While there was a seachange politically in November and Democrats took control of both federal chambers from Republicans, Harkin said he wasn't sure if Bush had changed his opinion on stem cell research or if he might veto it again. "Hopefully, he'll change his mind on it," the senator said.

If not, Harkin said, the chances are "excellent" there will be enough Senate votes to override a presidential veto, although he didn't have a feel for an override possibility in the House.

Harkin also addressed the content of a full page ad on Patriot Act particulars the American Civil Liberties Union placed in the Journal Thursday. The ACLU contended the new Congress should "stand up for the Constitution," and end torture in secret prisons, restore habeas corpus, "stop warrantless eavesdropping on innocent Americans," and "bring the Patriot Act in line with the Constitution."

Harkin said he agreed with all four ACLU assertions. In speaking about the various new recent government tools used to find and prosecute terrorists, Harkin said, "I think we ought to close down Guantanamo Bay."

The ad comes on the same day it was reported Bush in a Dec. 20 "signing statement" asserted the power to open the mail of Americans under emergency conditions.

Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com

ALSO THIS ARTICLE:

Analysis: Dems to take fast health votes

By TODD ZWILLICH

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Democrats in Washington are promising swift action on a series of health issues as they take control of the 110th Congress Thursday.

But movement on looming healthcare costs or the rising number of uninsured is unlikely until after the 2008 presidential elections, analysts warn.

Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has already promised swift votes on two health measures within the first 100 hours of business.

The House is scheduled next week to vote on a repeal of White House restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Democratic leaders say they'll follow that vote with another giving the government authority to negotiate drug prices directly with drug makers in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

The stem cell bill would lift rules that limit taxpayer research funds to a handful of cell lines and instead fund widespread studies through the National Institutes of Health.

But both votes could be largely symbolic.

Congress passed an identical measure on stem cell research last spring, only to see President Bush use the first veto of his presidency to prevent it from becoming law. President Bush has made no indication that he would sign the bill this year.

The White House is also against government price negotiations for prescription drugs. Currently, private insurance companies deal separately with drug makers, and backers of the market-based system point to the fact that Part D premiums remain lower than expected as the program enters its second year.

The Bush Administration today issued a warning that government negotiation damage seniors' ability to purchase drugs at most neighborhood pharmacies.

"Were the government to negotiate prices directly in an attempt to obtain lower prices, access to drugs would likely be restricted," read a statement released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Thursday.

But House Democrats appear to have the votes they'll need to pass the bill.

"This is pent up frustration over what was done in 2003," said Thomas Miller, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), referring to Congress's approval of the bill creating Part D.

The Senate is likely to take several months to come up with a more detailed policy, said Sen. Olympia Snow, R-Maine, who supports government price negotiations.

"There is certainly merit to making sure the government is getting the very best deal," Snowe said in an interview.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Thursday took over the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which has jurisdiction over most health policy.

The committee is likely to push legislation reforming how the Food and Drug Administration regulates pharmaceutical safety.

But lawmakers unlikely to take any immediate action on rapidly rising overall health carecosts, analysts say.

Congress is set to reauthorize a federal children's health insurance plan. Several lawmakers have said they will move to expand coverage to an estimated 8 million children who now lack it.

But AEI's Miller says major policy shifts addressing the 40 million American adults who lack medical insurance will likely wait until after the next presidential elections.

"It's unlikely it will be solved now, so it becomes a 2008 issue," he says. "Frankly, it's unlikely to happen in 2009, either."

Ken Thorpe, a health policy analyst at Emory University, predicted Congress will spend the next two years "laying the groundwork for 2008" on healthcare costs.

"The good news is, it's back on the agenda. We haven't had this debate for the last six years," said Thorpe, who has advised Democratic candidates on health policy.

AARP, the powerful seniors lobbying group, said in a statement Thursday it plans to track lawmaker's voting records and reporting to members "how their elected officials voted throughout the session."

Copyright 2007 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.

Related Headlines

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many healthcare issues on Congress' plate (January 2, 2007) -- When the U.S. Congress convenes, among the issues medical officials said they hope lawmakers take up is funding for the Children's Health ... > full story

Analysis: Healthcare as political quagmire (December 8, 2006) -- A new poll suggests Americans want action on healthcare issues, but there is no consensus about what kind of action, and also a lack of will to make ... > full story

Hatch optimistic about stem cell research (November 25, 2006) -- U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, says he believes the next Congress will pass legislation expanding stem cell research, over a presidential veto if ... > full story

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[Welthy]

Randy,

You seem to be on a real mission regarding this issue since last Tuesday's chat.

I could begin posting all kinds of data on this issue, but I've neither the time nor the inclination. Please don't assume that others have not thoroughly researched or have knowledge about this issue and have formulated educated opinions. (Per chat room discussion.)

As a moderator, you have a responsibility to insure that the information posted is done in a balanced way -- pro and con. Success and failure. There is enough of both out there. Broaching the embryonic issue could be a very slippery slope.

(I still love ya' )

Welthy

[Laura Ann]

Thank you, Welthy. I totally agree with what you said, especially the part about Randy being a moderater. His personal bias toward the support of stem-cell research has shone through his posts numerous times in the past. I have not responded until now, but I am completely against any of MY federal tax dollars spent on any research that involves the destruction of human life. My mother would never have wanted another life to be destroyed in order to save her own.

Didn't everyone here start out as an embryo?

Laura

[RandyW]

I mean no ill will of any kind to any one and will drop the subject. There si so much going on good and bad. Just rtying to keep tabs on research that is all. Subject respectfully dropped.

[Welthy]

"KatieB"

If you find an article that is posted, in your opinion skewed or biased or against your moral judgement, post a reply with an article or publication contradicting it so that our members can read both sides and decide for themselves- not take personal issue with the volunteer moderator posting the articles or incite arguments or debate.

It's only a slippery slope if you make it one.

This issue arose only after the topic came up in last Tuesday night's chat followed by the moderator's comments about a Bush/Cheney hunting trip for 2007. I held my tongue, despite being offended by the whole tone of the above. The flurry of stem cell postings following that night told me that a personal perspective was going to be put forth regardless of the forum. I guess I had erroneous expectations of what a moderator does on these boards. I understand completely now.

I think my prior post was dignified and diplomatic, but apparently this is a slippery slope and I've slid smack dab into a sacred cow. (Ouch!)

Welthy

[Welthy]

"KatieB"]

I was in last weeks chat but only for a short time. I read Randy post about the prospective funding for stem cell research and your reply about how morally you did not endorse it and how you live around the corner from Jimmy swaggert (I hope I remembered that right) and that the chat shouldn't get into such controversial issues.

YIKES!!

Let's clear this one up--

I said I lived a few blocks away from Wheaton College, you know Billy Graham, etc.

Welthy