Joe B Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Hi Everyone, Everything went great. Bethesda is a very nice place and Gina & I had time to meet up with some new friends we met on our Italy trip who live on the east coast (on the Ocean in Delaware-- They are a married couple- He is a Doctor and She is a nurse ) They made a trip in to Bethesda (3 hrs) and we had dinner and got to see Wash DC at night ) I had a bunch of baseline studies this time (CT of throat, Chest , and Abdomen; CT/PET scan); a ton of blood work. pulmonary function test.....etc) The vaccine itself was pretty easy It was just 9 separate injections in my left forearm just under the skin (kinda like a TB test) I have 3 rows of 3 "bumps about the size of a 1/4 inch each . It stings for like 20 seconds because of a preservative they use to keep the cells intact) Now they are red and inflammed but not too bad . Thats a good sign because its indicative of a strong immune response) Ok, heres the layman's scoop on this trial. They take irradiated lung cancer cells (Not your own) and using a virus they transfer a enzyeme/ sugar protien gene from a mouse called a " Gal 3" into the actual DNA of the dead cancer cell. Humans do not possess this gene. It is present on all lower form animals but not in humans. It is what causes us to have a strong (HYPER-ACUTE (thus the name for the study) response. Its the same response you would get if you tried to transplant an organ from an animal to a human (same protien that evokes that response in fact) . The hope is that as the immune system attacks and kills these cells it then learns to kill all similiar cells in our bodies. They had success in animal studies , and also in the phase 1 study with humans (This is a phase 2 study). They saw abot a 40% rate of stability for extended periods (mean was 35 weeks I think. But it was only a population of 16 patients. a few have been stable fo quite a long time and they have one man who is 4 years out and his tumors are still shrinking. The lung cell lines they use are Squamous, adenocarcinoma, and large cell) There are no known side effects except for the inflammation, reddness at the vaccine site. I go back for my second vaccine August 5th (next tuesday) . I go every 2 weeks for a total of 16 weeks. Once enrolled, all travel and lodging is paid for bythe NIH. PM me if you have any questions ! Joe B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Joe, Good luck. I live about 30 minutes north of Bethesda, so if you need anything let me know Hope the trial works for you John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 WOW, WOW, WOW......that guy going strong 4 years out Sure hope this is the magic potion for you, Joe. Sounds very good for as limited a study as it is so far. Good luck with it. Don't you think EVERYONE should know about NIH? I try my best to spread the word. I've been going there since November 2004. I had surgery there too. We are only 2 hours away. Fred and I would surely be up for a road trip, Joe. Your next visit can't do, but surely somewhere in those 16 weeks we can hook up. Maybe you could PM with your schedule. Just let us know if it's something you would be up for. Many prayers and positive vibes for this working BIG time!!!! Kasey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolhg Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Sounds very encouraging Joe! Praying for success for you which will also be success for all of us. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Joe, I am hoping with all my heart that this works for you! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryanne Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Wow Joe you really been through a lot lately. Some good stuff some not so good. This trial sounds amazing.... I pray it is an answer for you and so many others. Please, please keep us posted on your progress. Maryanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraL Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Thanks for updating us...very interesting. Continued best wishes and keep us posted. Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Joe, I have my fingers crossed that this vaccine zaps the monster!! Keep us posted, Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Thanks for the information on your trial. I'll be very interested in the results. Do you know if they are still accepting subjects? Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shineladysue Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Joe, thanks for sharing all the information about your treatment. I will be keeping you in my prayers . Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaroleHammett Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 You go, Joe! Affectionately, Carole Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.--George Carlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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