News from the cancer side, November 7

I am bringing you my first cancer news round up in this site. After Halloween and the US Presidential elections, we are in for a quiet weekend. Relax and enjoy!

News from the academia

IU School of Medicine researchers earn Susan G. Komen for the Cure grants
Three researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine were happy to be among the recipients of research grants for breast cancer from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The total amount pledged by Komen for international grants (to be split between 81 universities and hospitals in 5 countries) is an unprecedented $100 million.

“Komen’s pledge represents the largest commitment to breast cancer research funding by a single non-profit organization and will be distributed among 81 universities and hospitals in 27 states and five countries. The grants will be channeled toward research efforts offering the highest likelihood of producing results for patients during the next decade.”

News from clinical trials

Major study of supplements and prostate cancer halted
Vitamin E and selenium do not work against prostate cancer, according to the preliminary analysis of data from the SELECT trial. For this reason, the National Cancer Institute decided to stop the trial prematurely after 5 years. In addition to lack of efficacy, there are also some safety concerns, that is, the supplements may actually be harmful.

News from the pharma industry

AngioChem’s ANG1005 demonstrates preliminary clinical safety and tolerability in brain cancers
The Canadian biotech company AngioChem announced a promising drug against brain cancer. The drug currently called ANG1005 is currently being tested in Phase1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. Preliminary data were presented at the 20th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics last October 22 in Geneva, Switzerland.
“This preliminary safety and tolerability data is very encouraging but we are still in the early stages of clinical development and dose-escalation continues…” according to AngioChem CEO Jean-Paul Castaigne.

News from the lab

Therapy may block expansion of breast cancer cells
By targeting a protein called cyclin D1, cancer therapy actually blocks cancer cell expansion. This has been demonstrated in the lab using mice by researchers at the Thomas Jefferson University.
“Breast and other cancers are maintained through a population of cancer stem cells. By specifically targeting cancer stem cells we hope to reduce recurrence and improve therapy responses,” according to lead researcher Dr. Richard Pestell.

News from the food side

You can have a healthy body and a healthy wallet
Healthy and nutritious food need not be expensive. Karen Ravn of the LA Limes shares with us some practical tips to keep healthy without going over the budget. One of the most interesting pearls of wisdom she shares is “give up organic” because

“Organic fruits and vegetables are often better for the environment than nonorganic but not necessarily better for your health — and they’re much harder on your bank account.”

Agree or disagree? Let us know what you think!