TransMolecular Inc. reports that it has begun a Phase 1 trial to test non-radiolabeled TM601 for the treatment of malignant glioma, the type of brain cancer recently identified as afflicting Sen. Edward Kennedy.
The Cambridge-based biotech will target adult patients with progressive or recurrent brain cancer who have failed initial standard therapy, to determine the safety, tolerability, dosing and pharmacokinetics of TM601.Cancer survivors get help for treatment's side effects
Yesterday I came across a very poignant article in the Chicago Tribune about the debilitating side-effects that hinder the quality of life for brain cancer patients.
From The Article
The field of cancer rehab is just starting to take off, said Paul Barnes,
president and CEO of Navitas Cancer Rehabilitation Centers, billed as the first
company in the nation to focus exclusively on personalized, integrated cancer
rehab services.
I think this is such an important issue when dealing with brain cancer - Long Overdue!
Protein in Common Virus
A protein found in the common human virus cytomegalovirus (CMV) appears to be a key factor in making brain tumors more aggressive and faster spreading (Cancer Research, Feb. 1, 2008).
The researchers, from the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in
"IE1 delivers a one-two punch to tumor cells. We detect the CMV IE1 protein in nearly all malignant brain tumors, and we find that it can make tumor cells more aggressive by affecting two major pathways," said Charles Cobbs, MD, the lead author of the study.
"First, it inhibits two key tumor suppressor proteins in the brain tumor cells; then it promotes the most important growth signaling pathway in the tumor itself. By modulating these cellular pathways, this viral protein makes the tumor cells more aggressive."
Dr. Cobbs first made the discovery that CMV was associated with malignant brain tumors in 2002. Now, by identifying the mechanism that helps CMV fuel tumors, the researchers say it could speed up the search for new treatments.
"This opens up the door to the possibility of treating the malignant brain tumors with an antiviral drug, a simple oral medication that could dramatically help patients fight off a previously fatal cancer" says Liliana Soroceanu, PhD, MD, a co-author of the study.
High grade glioma tumors are the most common form of brain cancer. They are difficult to treat because surgical cure is not an option, and radiation and chemotherapy have only limited success against them. As a result the tumors are typically fatal within a year, claiming some 20,000 lives in the
CMV is a common virus, causing a persistent infection in 50 to 80 percent of all Americans. Because it often produces few symptoms most people are unaware they are infected. In normal, healthy individuals CMV poses few risks, but it can pose serious health problems for people with compromised immune systems such as people with HIV/AIDS, organ transplant recipients, and pregnant women and their fetus.
Tears, shock over Edward M Kennedy's brain cancer diagnosis
Washington -
Stunned silence swept Tuesday across the US Congress, observers said.
One colleague wept.
Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, left-wing icon and champion of the rights of workers and the poor, had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
The announcement sent shockwaves throughout Washington's political establishment, with Republican and Democratic leaders alike paying tribute to his achievements and significance in US political life.
A grim diagnosis: Kennedy's brain cancer is worst kind
By LAURAN NEERGAARD – 17 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A malignant glioma — the diagnosis doctors gave Sen. Edward M. Kennedy — is the worst kind of brain cancer. Malignant gliomas strike almost 9,000 Americans a year. Survival statistics are grim — few live three years and for the worst subtype, half die within a year.
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