Targeted Therapy and The Myeloma Cell

The picture to the right depicts the plasma cell with all the stuff hanging off it. The little "Y" shaped things are immunoglobulins (antibodies) composed of ameno acids which I referr to as "protein bullets." These are what create an immune response and tag a germ for disposal as depicted by the picture on the upper left. Some of the other hanging off structures take samples of germs in order to send a message to the plasma cell to create a unique immunoglobulin for this unique invader. Some of these hanging off structures are unique to the defective plasma cell which we call the myeloma cell (depicted below). Targeted therapy consists of a manufactured immunoglobulin which identifies the unique structures of the myeloma cell for myeloma cell destruction.

As you can see above, what we call a "cancer of the plasma cell", multiple myeloma is a genetic defect which causes a "defective" plasma cell to produce gobs of defective immunoglobulins or M-proteins. The myeloma cell is poorly formed with an irregular nucleus. If the myeloma cells are left untreated, the defective immunoglobulins which when normal are in relatively short supply when they reach the kidneys to be chopped up by enzymes and recycled as simple amino acids, arrive in mass which tends to overwhelm the kidney's ability to recycle and thus the defective immunoglobulins become lodged in the kidneys which leads eventually to renal failure and death.

The myeloma cells above are "secreting" m-protein. Some forms of myeloma are "non-secretory." Therefore, there are possibly as many variations of myeloma as there are people who have it. The thing that saves us treatment wise is that there are enough similarities to allow the cancer drugs to work on a number of minor variations. Targeted therapy should do a much better job of identifying myeloma cells and killing them since some of the targeted therapies use samples from individual patients in order to tailor the immunoglobulin for that specific myeloma cell deviant.

New Antibody Drug

The following is an article about targeted therapy. This is one of several efforts now under way to discover, test, and implement targeted therapy for Multiple Myeloma. I hope I am correct in hoping the cure for many cancers will develop out of this kind of research some of which is being funded by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. For more, see "MM Research from Emory University" posted below.

Jack
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New Antibody Drug

Australian medical research company Immune System Therapeutics Ltd (IST) has launched a clinical trial to test its breakthrough treatment for blood cancers.

IST has genetically engineered an antibody drug that binds specifically to a target protein found on the surface of some blood cancer cells. Laboratory studies, using cells taken from patients with multiple myeloma, have shown that the antibody works with the human immune system to induce death of the cancer cells. It is anticipated that the antibody will potentially reduce the number of cancerous cells in multiple myeloma patients and improve patient health and well being.

IST has commenced a Phase 1 trial in patients with multiple myeloma and to date six patients have been treated at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Spencer. Results so far indicate that the antibody has no side effects and final results are expected later this year.

IST's Director of Clinical Development, Dr. Rosanne Dunn, said in order to maintain the recruitment momentum, the Company is seeking to enroll another nine multiple myeloma patients with the kappa form of the disease to be treated over the next few months.

"We are very pleased that the antibody drug is performing as expected with patients suffering no adverse effects. Although this is very rare in cancer treatment it is an indication that the antibody specifically targets cancer cells and not normal cells," she said.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. Rosanne Dunn - +61 2 9514 4060
Alan Liddle - +61 2 9514 7437
Immune System Therapeutics
www.ISTL.com.au

A Cancer Cure

It has been a while since I posted anything. My condition continues to be pretty much the same which is a good thing but still wish I was at a point where I could stop taking the expensive cancer drug.

Regarding the cure for cancer, rest assured, there WILL be a cure and it WILL be very, very expensive unless someone discovers something that is common and universally available to everyone like Curcumen. Then it will become scarce because of massive demand unless a drug company can patent a synthetic, then it will be expensive again.

I don't expect to see a cancer cure in my lifetime. However, if there ever was in the past or is in the future a cure for cancer, word will get out and there will be a mass exodus demanding a cure.

When Jesus, who could raise the dead and heal the sick (like really incurably sick with leprosy), walked the earth, there was no TV or internet to spread the word about Him overnight. I suppose if there was, Jesus would have been pretty much immobilized by the masses seeking a cure. As it was, word got out about his abilities. I am sure only a small percentage of the population got the news about his ability to heal but enough so wherever he went, crowds formed when they found out he was in town. Some even knew enough about it to know all they had to do was to touch him or ask him, he didn't even have to be present to heal someone (or raise them from the dead).

I think the cure for cancer will be like that. No one will be able to cover it up or hide it. If the slightest bit of information leaks out that this stuff or that thing has been proven to cure cancer and it ACTUALLY does cure cancer, a mob the likes of which has never been seen since the first century will swarm the new cancer messiah. Of course, Jesus was free. If the drug companies offer a cure, the mob will be cut to it's knees due to the extreme expense of treatment.

Rest assured, a cure will be found and it will most likely be extremely expensive.

One Person's Opinion

http://www.itsyourtimes.com/?q=node/3761

Fri, 2008-07-18 19:37 — Wise Merlin

A Slightly Different Viewpoint

I have a slightly different viewpoint of the American Cancer Society.

First, it is the largest singular health corporation in the country and has been for many years. By that, I mean it has become the Cancer industry.

Second, it has receive more than 4 TRILLION DOLLARS SINCE IT'S INCEPTION from individual donations, corporate donations and government subsidies.

Third, in the sixty some years of its existence and all that funding, it has not cured ANY type of cancer. Yes, there are people that have become "individually" cancer free due to surgery, Chemo and other treatments, but they are in the minority. Leukemia treatment seems to be the closest to a real cure that works.

Forth, it seems to me the American Cancer Society has changed it's goal of "curing" cancer to "managing" cancer.

Fifth, many of the cancers have little or no greater life expectancy than they did sixty years ago. More than 100 years ago cancer was almost unheard of. Today cancer will affect one in four people.

Sixth, many times the so-called treatments kill the patient before the cancer does. Both of my parents died from the treatment rather than the cancer. My father WALKED into a hospital for radiation treatment for lung cancer and died two weeks later from radiation burns to the throat. My mother had successful surgery to remove cancer from her kidney, later received Chemo and died within three days.

Seventh, twenty percent of the moneys the American Cancer Society receives going to actual research is "in my opinion" an appalling statistic. A better question is, "How much goes to ADMINISTRATIVE SALARIES?"

Eighth, the American Cancer Society has never been a strong public advocate against environmental and corporate "cancer causing" pollution and the removal of these cancer causing agents FROM OUR SOCIETY.

Ninth, cancer treatment is one of the most expensive treatments in existence and it constantly costs more each year rather than less, surpassed for the most part, only by transplant treatment and rare disease treatment.

Tenth, it seems to me that the wealthier one is, the more likely they will survive a particular cancer and the poorer one is, the more likely they will die quickly from the same type of cancer.
I am sure there are many who find the American Cancer Society a comfort and many may attribute their "individual cure" to the Society.

One reason I feel this way about the American Cancer Society is because I remember more than twenty years ago Sixty Minutes televised a show depicting three critically ill "multiple" cancer patients who were bedridden and weeks away from death who were given an experimental treatment that COMPLETELY eliminated their multiple cancers within three months. (I recall it was about the time Interferon was another promising experimental treatment, but it was something else. I do recall something about the treatment attacked only cancer cells and the cancer cells could not function once attacked) Suddenly after that show aired, the treatment apparently fell into a black hole and was never heard from again.

God Bless those who are helped by the American Cancer Society, I would not deny them their joy, happiness and extension of life, but I am not impressed.

Wise Merlin