Trojan-horse therapy 'completely eliminates' cancer in mice

An experimental "Trojan-horse" cancer therapy has completely eliminated prostate cancer in experiments on mice, according to UK researchers.

The team hid cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour.

Once inside, a study in the journal Cancer Research showed, tens of thousands of viruses were released to kill the cancerous cells.

Using viruses to destroy rapidly growing tumours is an emerging field in cancer therapy, however one of the challenges is getting the viruses deep inside the tumour where they can do the damage.

"The problem is penetration," Prof Claire Lewis from the University of Sheffield told the BBC. She leads a team which uses white blood cells as 'Trojan horses' to deliver the viral punch.

Dr Kate Holmes, head of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: "It demonstrates that this innovative method of delivering a tumour-killing virus direct to the cancer site is successful at reducing the development of advanced prostate tumours which have been treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

"If this treatment goes on to be successful in human trials, it could mark substantial progress in finding better treatments for men with prostate cancer which has spread to the bone."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20795977

Flexible, light solar cells could provide new opportunities

MIT researchers have produced a new kind of photovoltaic cell based on sheets of flexible graphene coated with a layer of nanowires. The approach could lead to low-cost, transparent and flexible solar cells that could be deployed on windows, roofs or other surfaces.

The new approach is detailed in a report published in the journal Nano Letters, co-authored by MIT postdocs Hyesung Park and Sehoon Chang, associate professor of materials science and engineering Silvija Gradečak, and eight other MIT researchers.

While most of today’s solar cells are made of silicon, these remain expensive because the silicon is generally highly purified and then made into crystals that are sliced thin. Many researchers are exploring alternatives, such as nanostructured or hybrid solar cells; indium tin oxide (ITO) is used as a transparent electrode in these new solar cells.

The new material, Gradečak says, may be an alternative to ITO. In addition to its lower cost, it provides other advantages, including flexibility, low weight, mechanical strength and chemical robustness.

Source: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/hybrid-flexible-light-solar-cells-1221.html

Astellas Pharma Releases Phase II Data For Leukemia Drug

Approximately 50 percent of FLT3-ITD positive AML patients achieved complete remission with Astellas Pharma’s new investigational drug, according to Phase II data results.

Quizartinib (AC220) is an orally bioavailable FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) inhibitor being developed in collaboration between Ambit Biosciences Corporation and Astellas Pharma Inc. as an oral monotherapy treatment regimen in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Data from two study cohorts were presented at the American Society of Haematology (ASH) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

Source: http://www.asianscientist.com/tech-pharma/astellas-pharma-releases-phase-ii-data-quizartinib-aml-leukemia-2012/

Stem cells being made from blood

A patient's own blood has been used to make personalised stem cells, which doctors hope will eventually be used to treat a range of diseases.

The team at the University of Cambridge says this could be one of the easiest and safest sources of stem cells.

In a study, published in the journal Stem Cells: Translational Medicine, the cells were used to build blood vessels. However, experts cautioned that the safety of using such stem cells was still unclear.

Stem cells are one of the great hopes of medical research. They can transform into any other type of cell the body is built from - so they should be able to repair everything from the brain to the heart, and eyes to bone.

The team at Cambridge looked in blood samples for a type of repair cell that whizzes through the bloodstream repairing any damage to the walls of blood vessels. These were then converted into stem cells.

Dr Amer Rana said this method was better than taking samples from skin.

Prof Chris Mason, an expert on regenerative medicine at University College London, said there was some "beautiful work" coming out of the lab in Cambridge.

The British Heart Foundation said these cells had "great potential".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20539835