Design of Image-guided, Photo-thermal Controlled Drug Releasing Multifunctional Nanosystem for the Treatment of Cancer Stem Cells – Biochemistry

MENTOR: Dr. Zhen Cheng, Stanford University

“I was surprised by the survival rate of patients who had undergone current cancer therapy.”

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for initiating and driving tumor growth yet are often resistant to current cancer therapies. In her research, Angela Zhang aimed to design a CSC-targeted, gold and iron oxide-based nanoparticle with a potential to eradicate these cells through a controlled delivery of the drug salinomycin to the site of the tumor. The multifunctional nanoparticle combines therapy and imaging into a single platform, with the gold and iron-oxide components allowing for both MRI and Photoacoustic imaging. This nanosystem could potentially help overcome cancer resistance, minimize undesirable side effects, and allow for real-time monitoring of treatment efficacy.

Angela, a senior, is interested in nanomedicine and molecular imaging because they allow her “to transform my interests in physics, chemistry, and biology into solutions for current health problems.” She won the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2011 Grand Award and the ISEF 2010 Grand Award (both for medicine and health science), and a trip to attend the Taiwan International Science Fair awarded by the National Taiwan Science Education Center. Angela planned and executed a fundraiser that raised over $5,000 a year for the Monta Vista Interact International Night and has participated in the Jade Ribbon Youth Council to raise awareness about Hepatitis B. She plays golf and the piano and would like to major in chemical or biomedical engineering or physics. She is a 2010 Siemens Competition Regional Finalist who put in 1,000 hours on her current project. Angela hopes to become a research professor.

-via Siemens and George Washington University

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The mouthwash, which is the result of nearly ten years of research, could be a big step toward the eradication of all forms of tooth decay.

In a recent clinical study, 12 subjects who rinsed just one time with the experimental mouthwash experienced a nearly complete elimination of the S. mutans bacteria over the entire four-day testing period. The findings from the small-scale study are published in the current edition of the international dental journal Caries Research.

Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay or cavities, is one of the most common and costly infectious diseases in the United States, affecting more than 50 percent of children and the vast majority of adults aged 18 and older. Americans spend more than $70 billion each year on dental services, with the majority of that amount going toward the treatment of dental caries.

This new mouthwash is the product of nearly a decade of research conducted by Wenyuan Shi, chair of the oral biology section at the UCLA School of Dentistry. Shi developed a new antimicrobial technology called STAMP (specifically targeted anti-microbial peptides) with support from Colgate-Palmolive and from C3-Jian Inc., a company he founded around patent rights he developed at UCLA; the patents were exclusively licensed by UCLA to C3-Jian. The mouthwash uses a STAMP known as C16G2.

The human body is home to millions of different bacteria, some of which cause diseases such as dental caries but many of which are vital for optimum health. Most common broad-spectrum antibiotics, like conventional mouthwash, indiscriminately kill both benign and harmful pathogenic organisms and only do so for a 12-hour time period.

The overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics can seriously disrupt the body’s normal ecological balance, rendering humans more susceptible to bacterial, yeast and parasitic infections.

Shi’s Sm STAMP C16G2 investigational drug, tested in the clinical study, acts as a sort of “smart bomb,” eliminating only the harmful bacteria and remaining effective for an extended period.

Based on the success of this limited clinical trial, C3-Jian Inc. has filed a New Investigational Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is expected to begin more extensive clinical trials in March 2012. If the FDA ultimately approves Sm STAMP C16G2 for general use, it will be the first such anti–dental caries drug since fluoride was licensed nearly 60 years ago.

“With this new antimicrobial technology, we have the prospect of actually wiping out tooth decay in our lifetime,” said Shi, who noted that this work may lay the foundation for developing additional target-specific “smart bomb” antimicrobials to combat other diseases.

“The work conducted by Dr. Shi’s laboratory will help transform the concept of targeted antimicrobial therapy into a reality,” said Dr. No-Hee Park, dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry. “We are proud that UCLA will become known as the birthplace of this significant treatment innovation.”

-via

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There has been other research, meanwhile, indicated that a childrens’ song called “Nellie the Elephant” was better.  I have never heard of that song, so I’m not sure how many would think of it and be able to apply that if they were in a position where they needed to do CPR.

New research has been conducted at the Malcolm Woollard of Coventry University in Britain, where they conducted an experiment with 74 delegates attending an Australian College of Ambulance Professionals conference in New Zealand.  The delegates had volunteered to perform CPR on a training dummy.

Using a song called Disco Science by Mirwais, 82 percent of the volunteers were able to maintain compressions within the optimal range of 100 to 120 per minute.  This is contrasted with Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus, which had only 64 percent of volunteers maintaining the the optimal compression range.

The researchers found, however, that more than a third of compressions were too shallow, regardless of the music, and at least half of the volunteers did not position their hands correctly.  “When considering the combined importance of correct depth and rate, the authors are unconvinced that music provides any benefit in improving the quality of CPR compared with a metronome or audible feedback, suggesting that this interesting but unproductive area of resuscitation research should be discontinued,” they wrote.  Sounds like they need better training with close-up views of CPR done correctly.

The research has been reported in the Emergency Medicine Journal.

-via

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Whereas the majority of typography designers want their fonts to be aesthetically pleasing (think of the flowing serifs of Lucida Calligraphy or the chiseled lines of Arial), Boer was more concerned with reading comprehension. He estimates that the time he spent designing his font added up to 15 hours per letter. He even recruited dyslexic college pals for feedback.

One of the first things he did was increase the boldness of letters at their bases, to make them appear weighted, causing readers’ brains to know not to flip them upside down, as can occur with “p” and “d.” Boer also enlarged the openings of various letters, such as “a” and “c,” to make them more distinguishable from one another, and increased the length of “the tail” of other letters, like the “g” and y.” He also put certain letters at a slant so that they would appear to be in italics, like the “j,” a tactic to increase the brain’s ability to distinguish it from the letter “i.” Finally, he boldfaced capital letters and punctuation, and provided ample space between letters and words, to allow the brain more time to compute the letters and begin forming them into words and sentences.

Read more at Scientific American (read the article in the Dyslexie font (pdf))

Order the Font from his website (Available in English and Dutch)

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“We think we’ve found a way to safely and rapidly turn off the allergic response to food allergies,” said Paul Bryce, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of allergy-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Bryce and Stephen Miller, professor of microbiology-immunology at Feinberg, are co-senior authors of a paper published in the Journal of Immunology.

It’s the first time this method for creating tolerance in the immune system has been used in allergic diseases. It has previously been used in autoimmune diseases.  The approach also has a second benefit. It creates a more normal, balanced immune system by increasing the number of regulatory T cells, immune cells important for recognizing the peanut proteins as normal.

“T cells come in different ‘flavors’,” Bryce said. “This method turns off the dangerous Th2 T cell that causes the allergy and expands the good, calming regulatory T cells. We are supposed to be able to eat peanuts. We’ve restored this tolerance to the immune system.”

Peanut allergies often cause life-threatening allergic reactions, called anaphylaxis. Each year there are between 15,000 and 30,000 episodes of food-induced anaphylaxis and 100 to 200 related deaths in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. There is no safe treatment to protect people from a severe allergic reaction to food.

When an allergic person eats a peanut, the proteins are absorbed through the intestine and can activate a life-threatening, full-body immune response. This includes constriction of the airways, low blood pressure and/or shock and can lead to loss of consciousness and death.

This approach was first tested with peanut allergies, and the second round of studies was conducted with an egg protein, which was to produce an asthma like attack.  When the mice inhaled the asthma-provoking egg protein, their lungs did not become inflamed.

“This is an exciting new way in which we can regulate specific allergic diseases and may eventually be used in a clinical setting for patients,” said Miller, the Judy Gugenheim Research Professor at the Feinberg School.

-via

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The surveys, one by telephone of the general population and a second online survey, continue to show that the vast majority of Americans believe response organizations should be both monitoring social media during disasters and acting quickly to help.

“Social media is becoming an integral part of disaster response,” said Wendy Harman, director of social strategy for the American Red Cross. “During the record-breaking 2011 spring storm season, people across America alerted the Red Cross to their needs via Facebook.  We also used Twitter to connect to thousands of people seeking comfort, and safety information to help get them through the darkest hours of storms.”

Key findings include:

• Followed by television and local radio, the internet is the third most popular way for people to gather emergency information with 18 percent of both the general and the online population specifically using Facebook for that purpose.
• Nearly a fourth (24 percent) of the general population and a third (31 percent) of the online population would use social media to let loved ones know they are safe;
• Four of five (80 percent) of the general and 69 percent of the online populations surveyed believe that national emergency response organizations should regularly monitor social media sites in order to respond promptly.
• For those who would post a request for help through social media, 39 percent of those polled online and 35 of those polled via telephone said they would expect help to arrive in less than one hour.

The surveys, which polled 1,011 telephone respondents and 1,046 online respondents, found that those from the online survey population use a variety of technologies to both learn more about disasters and share information about their well-being, including Facebook, Twitter, text alerts, online news sites and smart phone applications, suggesting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to using these tools during disasters.

In contrast, people participating in the telephone survey tended to be more reliant on traditional media and non-social websites like those belonging to local news outlets, government agencies or utility companies. The Red Cross survey also found that women and households with children are more likely to use social media channels to inform others of their safety.

The survey findings show that the increasing use of social media and mobile technologies to get disaster information and to seek help should cause response agencies to adjust their procedures to use social media more to engage with people in times of disaster and to include information from social networks in their response efforts.

“Calling 9-1-1 is always the best first action to take when a person needs emergency assistance, but this survey shows there is an opportunity for emergency responders to meaningfully engage their communities on the social web,” said Trevor Riggen, senior director of disaster services for the American Red Cross. “Traditional media such as television and radio are still important ways to reach people with emergency information but the social web offers a chance for emergency responders to understand in real time what their communities care about and need – and to become part of the fabric of the community.”

On an average day, the Red Cross is mentioned 3,000 times in the social media space. During a disaster, those mentions grow exponentially and range from people asking for help to those looking for a way to help their neighbors to suggestions for monetary donations.

“As the numbers of people using these new technologies in disaster situations continue to increase, response agencies, including the Red Cross have a tremendous opportunity to engage the public where they are spending time,” said Harman. “Through social media, we can listen to, inform and empower people prior to emergencies, providing them with useful information about evacuation routes, shelters and safety tips before disasters strike.”

In August 2010, the Red Cross hosted an Emergency Social Data Summit at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. More than 150 people – leaders and experts in the government, social media, emergency response and the nonprofit sectors – attended the full-day summit to discuss how organizations might begin to listen to and potentially act on information that flows through the social web during disasters.

In the year since the Summit, the Red Cross has created a process to route life-threatening cries for help to local first responders. The organization has also increased its commitment to listen and engage social communities with a planned digital volunteer role, and continues to work with emergency response colleagues on processes and protocols for taking action on incoming information during disasters.

The Red Cross also offers two free mobile applications—one that provides shelter locations and the “American Red Cross SOS” app that teaches first aid and CPR. The shelter finder app can be accessed through the Apple app store and the SOS app can be accessed through the Android marketplace. The Red Cross has also integrated Facebook and Twitter into the Safe and Well site, so people can register that they are safe and update their social media status and let others know how they are doing.

This is the second year the Red Cross has studied the use of social media and other technologies in emergency situations. The Red Cross decided to broaden the survey audience and produce a more in-depth look at trends. This year’s study surveyed more than 1000 members of the general public and more than 1000 online users.  The 2010 survey included only data from 1,058 online respondents. This year’s survey demonstrates an increasing reliance on online news and information in emergencies as well as increased participation in social networks.

Survey details: Two similar polls were fielded during the period of June 23-27 by CARAVAN® ORC International using two methodologies: Telephone survey of 1,011 U.S. Adults 18 years and older on June 24-27, 2011. Margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Online survey of 1,046 survey respondents aged 18 and older on June 23-27 on June 23-26, 2011. Respondents for the online survey were selected from among those who have volunteered to participate in online surveys and polls. The data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the 18+ population. Because the sample is based on those who initially self-selected for participation, no estimates of sampling error can be calculated.  Comparison Sample From: When appropriate, comparison values have been included from the previous online survey of 1,058 respondents aged 18 and older conducted on July 22-23, 2010 by CARAVAN® ORC International.

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“Improv is all about being in the moment, which for someone with memory loss, that is a very safe place,” says Mary O’Hara, a social worker at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “Maybe thinking about the past and trying to remember makes the person a little anxious or even a bit sad because their memory is failing. And maybe thinking about the future too much is also anxiety-provoking. So being in the moment is such a safe and a good place to be.”

-via NPR

More information: Chicago News

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“Patients may respond differently to various HIV drugs or experience varied side effects,” said Edward Cox, director of the office of antimicrobial products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

“FDA’s approval of Edurant provides an additional treatment option for patients who are starting HIV therapy.”

-via

The FDA also approved a long awaited drug for the treatment of Hepatitis C, which was developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.  The drug is called Incivek, and it is so effective that the chances of a person being cured of the disease double with its’ use.  This drug works in combination with others such as ribavirin and pegylated interferon.  It was unanimously approved by the FDA, and Vertex founder and former CEO Joshua Boger remarked that this is “a great day for patients that we at Vertex envisioned almost 18 years ago.”

-via

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1. AIDS Drugs Lower the Risk of HIV Infection – Antiretroviral drugs have turned the AIDS epidemic around, by thwarting the virus in HIV-positive patients. But new research suggests that this powerful treatment may have another benefit — as a weapon against infection in healthy individuals. Trials have the risk of contracting HIV lowered by up to 73%.
2. Synthetic Cell – Dr. J. Craig Venter, co-mapper of the human genome, who this year took another step toward creating life in the lab. Generated from a painstaking process of stitching together the chemicals that compose DNA, Venter synthesized the entire genome of a bacterium, which was inserted into a cell and was able to replicate.
3. Blood Test for Alzheimer’s – A promising new blood test may help confirm a diagnosis early in the disease’s progression, which opens the possibility for prevention of dementia and mental decline even before the earliest onset of symptoms. The new test analyzes more than two dozen proteins in the blood, and is 80% accurate in identifying patients with the disease. It is only the latest in a series of new methods, including tests of spinal fluid, aimed at detecting and confirming Alzheimer’s earlier in patients’ lives. Quicker diagnoses could help patients take advantage of behavioral interventions — such as keeping the mind active by maintaining social contacts and learning new things — that may slow the mental deterioration of Alzheimer’s.
4. FDA Approves Botox for Migraines – Some patients who received Botox injections to prevent wrinkles in their forehead reported that their migraines also seemed to diminish, scientists — especially those at Allergan, the manufacturer of Botox — decided to investigate. Based on data from two large trials involving more than 1,000 patients, the company successfully convinced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that patients receiving Botox in the facial area experienced fewer days of migraine pain each month than those who did not get the muscle paralyzing injections.
5. Taking the Resuscitation out of CPR – In recent years, several studies have found that untrained bystanders are more comfortable performing chest compressions, without mouth-to-mouth — even with the help of a trained 911 operator — and that victims who receive only compressions are as likely to survive as those who receive full CPR. These results, coupled with the fact that only 30% of those in need of CPR actually get it — in large part because of untrained bystanders’ reluctance to perform what they view as a complex procedure — forced the AHA to revise its CPR guidelines. (via)
6. The FDA Restricts Avandia
7. Blood Test for Heart Attack – researchers have now identified a preliminary panel of 23 genes that code for blood proteins, which was 83% accurate in detecting blood-vessel obstructions typical of heart disease.
8. Predicting IVF Success
9. Artificial Ovary
10. Creating iPS Cells Safer and Faster

View full list of the top 10 of everything for 2010

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Crosstex International, a subsidiary of Cantel Medical Corp., announced today the publication of sponsored research that suggests a far greater infection prevention value of medical face masks, commonly referred to as surgical masks, than previously understood. The key outcome challenges conventional wisdom that a medical mask or respirator is most effective when worn by a person attempting to protect oneself from exposure to infectious matter.  Instead, if FDA-cleared medical face masks are worn at the potential source of the infection, the level of overall protection is magnified up to 300-fold.  Published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the research study, entitled “Quantifying Exposure Risk and Mask Protection”, was conducted by Keith Diaz, MD, and Gerald Smaldone, MD, PhD, at Stony Brook University Medical Center in Stony Brook, NY.

This study supports the newest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines (September 2010) on Seasonal Influenza Prevention Strategies in Healthcare Settings, which recommend the use of medical face masks to minimize potential exposure to influenza viruses in healthcare settings.  The simulated bench study examined the efficacy of N95 respirators and medical face masks in their ability to reduce exposure to infectious particles when used either as protective devices (to protect the wearer) or as “source control” devices (to control infection at the source, such as a person with flu-like symptoms).  The authors’ results demonstrate “the most important factor in reducing exposure was deflection of exhaled particles at the source.”

“This evidence offers healthcare providers and public health officials new insight into the benefit of medical face masks as source control devices,” said Gary Steinberg, CEO of Crosstex International.  ”It was clear that medical face masks were being narrowly compared to N95 respirators for their ability to protect the wearer from the outside-in.  We wanted to better understand the value of medical face masks for source control, that is, protecting others from the inside-out,” said Matt Conlon, Vice President at Cantel Medical.  While medical face masks are commonly referred to as “PPE” (Personal Protection Equipment), their original purpose was to protect the patient from acquiring an infection from the physician.  This new research is the first to quantify their important role in controlling the infection at the source and further demonstrated that a tighter fitting medical mask performs best in source control.

The findings come in the wake of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic when there were significant complications, shortages, and debate surrounding the CDC’s formal recommendation for the use of N95′s by healthcare workers for protection against the H1N1 virus. Steinberg said, “This shows an exponential infection control benefit at a fraction of the cost and complexity of using N95 respirators.  As one of the few remaining U.S. manufacturers of medical masks, it is important for Crosstex to continue funding this type of independent research to address infectious disease threats through continued mask innovation. We don’t overlook the fact that masks are medical devices.  We understand they can save lives and dramatically reduce costs associated with respiratory-borne infections.”

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