Melanoma, cancer of the melanin-producing cells typically found in skin, is very difficult to treat and often fatal. Patients tend to respond to therapies that shut down a pro-cell growth pathway by activating a bypass pathway. PLX4032 is a promising experimental new cancer drug in phase III clinical trials for treatment of melanoma. [...]
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Improving flu vaccines: Matrix 2 protein as a possible Influenza A vaccine component
The 2009 “swine flu” H1N1 Influenza A virus pandemic demonstrated the need for influenza vaccines providing broad coverage across multiple strains and subtypes. Current vaccine preparation methods are problematic because they function by inducing antibodies to the highly variable surface glycoproteins of the Influenza A virus, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase. Because these proteins are susceptible [...]
Bisphosphonates and breast cancer
A recent article in the British Journal of Cancer indicated that women taking bisphosphonates prescribed for osteoporosis had about a 30% reduction in breast cancer occurrence. Bisphosphonates have a core molecular structure similar to a naturally occurring compound, pyrophosphate, essentially a diphosphate moiety. However, in a bisphosphonate, a carbon atom replaces an oxygen atom [...]
Gene therapy for Pompe disease
A recent article in the journal of Molecular Therapy, representing work from the University of Florida, indicated a possible gene therapy treatment for Pompe disease. Pompe disease results from a mutation in the gene that encodes the enzyme, acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA), which releases glucose from glycogen. Glycogen consists of repeating monomers of glucose and is thus [...]
Cancer genomes
Two reports in the journal Nature represented the determination of the entire DNA sequence in a type of lung cancer tumor cell and in a melanoma tumor cell, respectively.
Tamoxifen, breast cancer, E-cadherin and metastasis
A recent report in Breast Cancer Research attempted to explain, at least partially, why some breast cancer patients have a higher incidence of recurrence of breast cancer than others.
C-reactive proteins and statins
A presentation at the recent American Heart Association meeting extended previous studies indicating the importance of high C-reactive protein levels in facilitating heart attacks and stroke.
New lung cancer genes
A recent report implicated two genes in lung cancer.
Acyclovir, HIV and Herpes
A recent study reported that the anti-Herpes drug acyclovir could also inhibit HIV reverse transcriptase, the target of other anti-HIV drugs. Acyclovir is related to the guanine nucleotide that is a subunit of DNA. The basic theory behind its mode of inhibition of Herpes virus infections is that this altered DNA subunit is incorporated into [...]
Predicting melanoma outcome
Melanoma is often detected on the outer skin prior to metastasis, in which case the prognosis is good. However, melanoma detected in the lymph nodes, termed stage III melanoma, has the probability of spreading, usually leading to death within five years. About 30% of patients with lymph node melanoma surpass the five year survival rate, [...]
Endometriosis and telomerase
Endometriosis is the occurrence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. This tissue is often efficiently removed by surgery, with a low probability of recurrence, but there is no one clear treatment of choice to prevent or eliminate endometriosis.
Rember™, Alzheimer’s Disease, and tau
The Alzheimer’s Association Conference in Chicago, July 26-31, 2008, included a presentation by representatives of TauRx Therapeutics Ltd. describing human clinical trials with the drug Rember™ to treat Alzheimers disease.
Dr. Blanck’s professional biosketch
Blanck Biosketch (pdf link)
