Unprecedented, 100% recovery for experimental cancer treatment patients
A small clinical trial conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA, found that all 14 rectal cancer patients who received experimental immunotherapy recovered. All of these subjects had locally advanced rectal cancer with a rare mutation (defective mismatch repair, dMMR). This is the first time in the history of cancer treatment that this has happened, according to the researchers. The study results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The patient was treated with dostarlimab, an immunotherapy drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline. The researchers said that each patient's cancer magically disappeared and could not be detected by physical examination, endoscopy, PET scans or MRI scans.
The drug costs about $11,000 per dose, according to the British newspaper The Times. It is given to patients every 3 weeks for 6 months.
Researchers say the body's immune cells contain a protection called a "checkpoint" to prevent them from attacking normal cells. But cancer cells can affect this protection and shut down immune cells, allowing tumors to grow in hiding. This new approach is an immunotherapy that allows the immune system to eliminate cancer cells by blocking their "don't eat me" signals. The treatment targets a subtype of rectal cancer in which the DNA repair system does not work. When the repair system doesn't work, more errors are made in the protein, and the immune system recognizes these errors and kills the cancer cells.
After follow-up from 6 months to 25 months after the end of the trial, all patients who participated in the study showed no signs of cancer recurrence and did not require further standard treatments such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Another surprise of the study was that none of the patients suffered serious side effects.
The results were surprising, the researchers said, with every patient in the clinical trial responding to a drug that was almost unheard of. They coined the term "immunoablation" for this approach to targeting specific tumors with immunotherapy alone, which means using "immunotherapy instead of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to eliminate cancer.
Rectal cancer surgery and radiation therapy have permanent effects on fertility, sexual health, bowel and bladder function, with a huge impact on quality of life, according to researchers. As the incidence of rectal cancer rises in young people, the new approach could have a significant impact.
The researchers agreed that this trial now needs to be repeated in a larger study, noting that the small study focused only on patients with rare genetic characteristics in their tumors. But seeing complete remission in 100 percent of patients tested is a very promising early sign, they said.
(Source: Science and Technology Daily)
First confirmation of the existence of a "source of life" outside the Earth
According to Japanese media reports, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said scientists detected more than 20 kinds of amino acids in the samples collected by the asteroid probe "Hayabusa 2". This is the first evidence of the existence of amino acids outside the Earth, and is important for understanding how these vital organic molecules reach the Earth.
At the end of 2020, the Japanese asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 brought a sample of an asteroid to Earth.
In December 2020, the six-year recovery capsule carried by the probe Hayabusa 2 returned to Earth from the asteroid Ryugu, more than 300 million kilometers away, and brought back about 5.4 grams of samples from the planet's surface. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and other teams analyzed the sample and detected more than 20 kinds of amino acids from it.
JAXA's asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 is approaching its target asteroid Ryugu.
Kenshasa Kobayashi, professor emeritus of astrobiology at Yokohama National University in Japan, said that the discovery of a variety of amino acids on celestial bodies beyond Earth is "unprecedented" and may even suggest the existence of life beyond Earth, "proving that amino acids are present in the subsurface of asteroids, increasing the possibility that these compounds could reach Earth from space. The discovery of a variety of amino acids on the planet is "unprecedented" and may even suggest the existence of life beyond Earth. This also means that amino acids could be found on other planets and natural moons, suggesting that "life could be born in more places in the universe than previously thought.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, organic molecules that are essential for the formation of life. Although it is not known how amino acids reached the ancient Earth, one theory suggests that they were present in large quantities when the Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago, but ceased to exist after the Earth became extremely hot when covered by magma, but were then reintroduced from outer space by meteors. There are also theories that amino acids themselves existed on the Earth's surface.
This time, Hayabusa 2 collected samples from the asteroid's subsurface material that is not exposed to sunlight or cosmic rays, and analyzed them without exposing them to Earth's air, meaning that researchers have confirmed for the first time that the components of life also exist in outer space.
As more data from the Ryugu sample is analyzed, scientists will have more information about the asteroid's composition and how it formed. By comparing the results of the Ryugu sample material with samples collected from the asteroid Bennu, scientists will gain a better understanding of the various chemical mixtures in the universe and how life arose.
"A photo of the asteroid Ryugu taken by Hayabusa 2.
(Source: Science and Technology Daily)
Even if greenhouse gas emissions were stopped immediately, the world would still have a 42% chance of "inertial warming"
According to a modeling study published in the British journal Nature Climate Change on June 6, even if emissions were stopped immediately, the world would still have a 42 percent probability of going down a path of 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than before the industrial revolution. If emissions are not cut until 2029, however, that probability will rise to 66 percent, highlighting the need for immediate action to avoid inertia in reaching peak warming.
The change in warming under different emission scenarios highlights the need to reduce emissions immediately to avoid further warming.
The atmospheric residence time of greenhouse gases determines the persistence of their effects after emissions are terminated. Therefore, assessing the potential for limiting global warming to meet the Paris Agreement target requires an understanding of the unrealized warming caused by past emissions.
University of Washington researcher Michel Davolak and colleagues, this time using an emissions-based climate model to understand inertial warming (the knock-on effects of past greenhouse gas emissions) between 2021-2080 under existing and alternative emissions mitigation pathways (the shared socio-economic pathway, or SSP, as used in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR6 report).
The study shows that if emissions stop immediately, there is still a 42% chance that the world will inertially warm by more than 1.5°C, but only a 2% chance that it will exceed 2°C. Waiting until after 2029 to start cutting emissions (in the SSP2-4.5 scenario, in which carbon emissions remain high until mid-century and then begin to decline) would increase the likelihood of inertial warming of 1.5°C to 66%. Under all emission scenarios, this likelihood is reflected in the projections between 2027 and 2032. In the SSP2-4.5 scenario, the world is projected to reach inertial warming levels 4-6 years before these temperatures occur.
This study highlights the need for urgent mitigation measures to avoid future climate warming at even higher levels due to inertia.
(Source: Science and Technology Daily)
First confirmation of the existence of a "source of life" outside the Earth
According to Japanese media reports, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said scientists detected more than 20 kinds of amino acids in the samples collected by the asteroid probe "Hayabusa 2". This is the first evidence of the existence of amino acids outside the Earth, and is important for understanding how these vital organic molecules reach the Earth.
In December 2020, the six-year recovery capsule carried by the probe Hayabusa 2 returned to Earth from the asteroid Ryugu, more than 300 million kilometers away, and brought back about 5.4 grams of samples from the planet's surface. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and other teams analyzed the sample and detected more than 20 kinds of amino acids from it.
Kenshasa Kobayashi, professor emeritus of astrobiology at Yokohama National University in Japan, said that the discovery of a variety of amino acids on celestial bodies beyond Earth is "unprecedented" and may even suggest the existence of life beyond Earth, "proving that amino acids are present in the subsurface of asteroids, increasing the possibility that these compounds could reach Earth from space. The discovery of a variety of amino acids on the planet is "unprecedented" and may even suggest the existence of life beyond Earth. This also means that amino acids could be found on other planets and natural moons, suggesting that "life could be born in more places in the universe than previously thought.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, organic molecules that are essential for the formation of life. Although it is not known how amino acids reached the ancient Earth, one theory suggests that they were present in large quantities when the Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago, but ceased to exist after the Earth became extremely hot when covered by magma, but were then reintroduced from outer space by meteors. There are also theories that amino acids themselves existed on the Earth's surface.
This time, Hayabusa 2 collected samples from the asteroid's subsurface material that is not exposed to sunlight or cosmic rays, and analyzed them without exposing them to Earth's air, meaning that researchers have confirmed for the first time that the components of life also exist in outer space.
As more data from the Ryugu sample is analyzed, scientists will have more information about the asteroid's composition and how it formed. By comparing the results of the Ryugu sample material with samples collected from the asteroid Bennu, scientists will gain a better understanding of the various chemical mixtures in the universe and how life arose.
(Source: Science and Technology Daily)
Even if greenhouse gas emissions were stopped immediately, the world would still have a 42% chance of "inertial warming"
According to a modeling study published in the British journal Nature Climate Change on June 6, even if emissions were stopped immediately, the world would still have a 42 percent probability of going down a path of 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than before the industrial revolution. If emissions are not cut until 2029, however, that probability will rise to 66 percent, highlighting the need for immediate action to avoid inertia in reaching peak warming.
The atmospheric residence time of greenhouse gases determines the persistence of their effects after emissions are terminated. Therefore, assessing the potential for limiting global warming to meet the Paris Agreement target requires an understanding of the unrealized warming caused by past emissions.
University of Washington researcher Michel Davolak and colleagues, this time using an emissions-based climate model to understand inertial warming (the knock-on effects of past greenhouse gas emissions) between 2021-2080 under existing and alternative emissions mitigation pathways (the shared socio-economic pathway, or SSP, as used in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR6 report).
The study shows that if emissions stop immediately, there is still a 42% chance that the world will inertially warm by more than 1.5°C, but only a 2% chance that it will exceed 2°C. Waiting until after 2029 to start cutting emissions (in the SSP2-4.5 scenario, in which carbon emissions remain high until mid-century and then begin to decline) would increase the likelihood of inertial warming of 1.5°C to 66%. Under all emission scenarios, this likelihood is reflected in the projections between 2027 and 2032. In the SSP2-4.5 scenario, the world is projected to reach inertial warming levels 4-6 years before these temperatures occur.
This study highlights the need for urgent mitigation measures to avoid future climate warming at even higher levels due to inertia.
(Source: Science and Technology Daily)
The secret of blood aging after the age of 70 is revealed
How do genetic changes that slowly accumulate in blood stem cells over a person's lifetime lead to dramatic changes in blood production after age 70? A new study may shed light. The study, by scientists and collaborators at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute in the United Kingdom, and published recently in the journal Nature, proposes a new theory of aging.
All human cells undergo genetic changes throughout their life course, known as somatic mutations. Aging is likely caused by the accumulation of multiple types of damage to our cells over time. One theory is that the accumulation of somatic mutations causes cells to gradually lose their functional reserve. However, it is not clear why this gradual accumulation of molecular damage leads to a sudden deterioration in organ function after age 70.
To understand this aging process, the research team studied the production of blood cells in the bone marrow, analyzing 10 individuals ranging in age from newborn to elderly. They sequenced the entire genomes of 3,579 blood stem cells and identified all the somatic mutations contained in each cell. The team used this to reconstruct the "family tree" of each individual's blood stem cells, showing for the first time how blood cells relate to each other and how these relationships change over the human life cycle.
The researchers found that these "family trees" changed dramatically after age 70. adults under age 65 produced blood cells from 20,000 to 200,000 stem cells, each contributing roughly the same amount, mostly clonally, to hematopoiesis. In contrast, individuals over the age of 70 have a very different blood cell production and a significant decrease in clonal diversity. The number of clonal expansions per individual is 10 to 20, accounting for as much as 30-60% of the overall hematopoietic population. The number of these highly active stem cells increases progressively over the lifetime of the individual studied, caused by a rare subset of somatic mutations called "driver mutations".
These findings led the team to propose a model in which age-related changes in hematopoiesis result from somatic cell-driven mutations that cause "selfish" clonal stem cells to dominate the bone marrow of older adults and increase in many other tissues of their bodies as they age. This increases the risk of cancer and may also lead to other functional changes associated with aging. This also allows for a loss of blood stem cell diversity in old age, resulting in an impaired ability of stem cells to produce functional mature blood cells.
The study also showed that which clone predominates varies from person to person, so the model also explains changes in disease risk and other characteristics in older adults.
Chronic inflammation, smoking, infections and chemotherapy can lead to earlier onset of clones carrying oncogenic mutations," said Dr. Elisa Laurenti, co-senior investigator of the study and assistant professor at the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. We predict that these factors will also lead to a decline in the diversity of blood stem cells associated with aging. However, there may also be factors that slow this process. There is now an exciting task of figuring out how these newly discovered mutations affect blood function in older adults so that they can learn how to minimize disease risk and promote health in old age."
(Source: Science and Technology Daily)
