Sea creatures from the Red Sea have been the focus of scientific researchers for many years. The Red Sea is one of the saltiest and hottest bodies of water in the world. The creatures that live in the hostile environment of the Red Sea are unique in being able to survive extreme conditions. Creatures from the Red Sea are the focus of many studies due their ability to survive in almost lethal environments, including toxic solutions of salt water high in cyanide and other deadly substances. I asked Jody Victor®  to tell us more about it.

Jody Victor®: Researchers say that these Red Sea creatures are giving them some of the best tools to combat cancer. One such Red Sea creature, the Red Sea coral, has been studied for the last five years at South Dakota State University (SDSU). Distinguished professor Chandradhar Dwivedi, head of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department in the College of Pharmacy at SDSU, and Hesham Fahmy, a chemist who already has one patent for his work at the University of Mississippi, have been working on the project together since Fahmy joined SDSU’s College of Pharmacy in 2004. They are now pursuing licensing of their patent based on their collaborative research of sarcophine from Red Sea coral for use in sunscreens.

Exposure to ultraviolet light, especially in the summer months, can contribute to skin cancer. People who spend long hours exposed to sunlight, such as farmers and construction workers, are the most at risk. As people are becoming more aware of the skin cancer risks from over-exposure to sunlight they are making a bigger effort to wear sunscreens. “We have been saying for a long time that prevention is the best medicine,” Dwivedi says. “We have to make the effort to prevent the disease before we treat it.”

Sarcophine-diol is a molecule made from a product called sarcophine that can be isolated from soft coral found in the Red Sea. Dwivedi and Fahmy’s study on sarcophine-diol began as possibly using it for the prevention of skin cancer in sunscreens and has morphed into the possibility of using it as a tool to actually treat skin cancer. As they studied sarcophine-diol for use in sunscreens they found that it did not simply block ultraviolet radiation but also reversed the damage caused by the ultraviolet radiation.

SDSU’s research on the use of sarcophine-diol in sunscreens has opened up numerous possibilities for its use not only for prevention of skin cancer by inhibiting cell growth in cancers but also as a way to reverse the damage by inducing orderly, programmed cell death of cancer cells. Sarcophine-diol is effective in micrograms, as compared to milligrams, for other chemo-preventative products. In other words it is effective in a concentration of about one-thousandth of what is suggested for other chemo-preventative agents. They found that sarcophine-diol could be used both for chemoprevention and as a chemotherapeutic agent for use against non-melanoma skin cancer development.

Their studies have shown that sarcophine-diol did not induce what scientists call necrosis, the premature death of healthy cells. The importance of this finding is that sarcophine-diol could be used in treatments that specifically target cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells. They also found that treatments with higher concentrations of sarcophine-diol induced a higher level of “executioner” proteins that have a role in apopsis, or programmed cell death. And more importantly, sarcophine-diol did not significantly increase the level of “executioner” proteins in normal cells, suggesting that it is considerably more toxic to skin tumor cells than to healthy cells.

“We hope to include it in sun screen or lotion. Apply it once, and you are set for the day. We are hopeful that it will not only prevent skin cancer but may actually treat skin cancer,” Dwivedi says.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Researchers are constantly working towards better solutions to health and disease issues. Recently researchers have been working on both immune system and natural chemical solutions for treating Alzheimer’s. I asked Jody Victor®  to give us some details.

Jody Victor®: A new scientific study has shown for the first time marked improvement in Alzheimer’s disease within minutes of administrating a therapeutic molecule. The study has been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. The study highlights the importance of soluble proteins, called cytokines, in Alzheimer’s. One of these cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), is the focus of the study. TNF regulates the transmission of neural impulses in the brain. Researchers have found that elevated levels of TNF interfere with normal transmission regulation.

 In the study researchers gave Alzheimer’s patients an injection of an anti-TNF therapeutic called etanercept into their spines at the neck. Language improvement was found within minutes. One 82-year old Alzheimer’s sufferer recognized his wife for the first time in years. The etanercept (trade name Enbrel) binds and inactivates excess TNF. The FDA already approves the use of etanercept to treat a number of immune-mediated diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. “It is unprecedented that we can see cognitive and behavioral improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention,” says Sue Griffin, PHD, director of research at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Doctors are now calling for clinical trials.

Alzheimer’s disease researchers have also isolated bisdemethoxycurcumin- the active ingredient of curcuminoids- a natural substance found in turmeric root (a major ingredient in curry powder)- that may help boost the immune system in clearing amyloid beta, a peptide that forms the plaques found in the disease. The study provides more insight into the role of the immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. The results suggest a new drug development approach by relying on the innate immune system that is present at birth rather than on antibodies which develop later as part of an active immune system.

Scientists at UCLA and UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that a form of vitamin D, together with a chemical found in turmeric spice called curcumin, may help stimulate the immune system to clear the brain of amyloid beta, which forms the plaques that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Their early findings may lead to a new approach in preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by using the property of vitamin D3 alone and together with natural or synthetic curcumin. The main source for vitamin D3 is sunshine and is synthesized into the skin. Deficiencies occur during winter months or in people who spend a lot of time indoors, such as Alzheimer’s patients.

According to Dr. Milan Fiala, involved in the study at UCLA, researchers hoped that “vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventative and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer’s disease.” But researchers found that naturally occurring curcumin is not readily absorbed and that it breaks down quickly, sometimes before it can be utilized in the body. John Cashman of the Human BioMolecular Research Institute, a non-profit institute, has developed synthetic curcuminoid compounds. “We think some of the novel synthetic compounds will get around the shortcomings of curcumin and improve the therapeutic efficacy,” Cashman says.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Researchers are constantly working towards better solutions to health and disease issues. One such new solution is in the field of malarial disease. I asked Jody Victor®  to give us the breakthrough news.

Jody Victor®: Working with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Andrew Fung and his colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles are developing a malaria-detecting gum called Maliva. Fung hopes to have a working prototype of Maliva by next year and begin field-testing the gum soon after.

A person becomes infected with malaria when a female Anopheles mosquito, searching for blood to feed her young, bites the person. Various symptoms occur in six to fourteen days after exposure: fever, chills, vomiting, lack of energy and, sometimes, convulsions. The lack of energy is caused by the malaria parasites bursting out of red blood cells.

If malaria is suspected, doctors now draw a small blood sample and examine it under a microscope. They search for darker than normal red blood cells, which show infection by malaria parasites. Many regions in the world where malaria is prevalent have no microscopes or experienced staff. In those regions doctors use an antigen test. Using a single drop of blood, the tests detect the presence of several molecules made by malaria parasites, which are released into the blood. Some areas of the world can’t afford the antigen tests. And some areas have a taboo against even drawing a single drop of blood.

Maliva could solve all those problems. Three of the proteins that the blood antigen tests detect can also be found in saliva. The current idea for providing the gum with its malaria-detecting properties is to incorporate magnetic nanoparticles into the gum. When a person chews the gum their saliva containing the molecules produced by the malaria parasites pour into their mouth. The magnetic nanoparticles are tipped with antibodies that latch onto the molecules. After a few minutes of chewing, the gum would be removed and placed on a paper strip. The nanoparticles, which are now bound to the malaria proteins, would show up as a thin line. No line- no malaria.

Doctor David Wong at UCLA who is not involved with Fung’s research recently lead a National Institutes of Health consortium. The consortium has been mapping the various proteins in human saliva. Wong is encouraged with the use of saliva for disease detection to replace painful needle sticks. He believes saliva testing will become commonplace in the next few years for all kinds of diseases. He has stated that Maliva “is just the tip of the iceberg. There is no reason why this method can’t be used to detect other conditions as well.” Disease-detecting gum could offer a cheap new way to diagnose or monitor diseases. Distribution would be easy. The disease-detecting gum could be sold anywhere candy is distributed.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Every week the Center for Disease Control (CDC) analyzes information about the Influenza A H1N1 virus. They publish their findings of key flu indicators in a report called FluView. I asked Jody Victor® to give us some updates.

Jody Victor® : During the last week of December some key indicators decreased and others increased. Here is a list of the most recent key indicators:

1. Doctor visits for flu-like illness increased nationally from the week before. This is the first increase after eight straight decreases.
2. Hospitalization rates for flu-like illness were unchanged from the week before.
3. Deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza increased over the previous week showing this key indicator as back above the epidemic threshold for the first time in eleven weeks. Pediatric deaths, however, decreased from nine the previous week to four. Two of these deaths were confirmed 2009 H1N1 related.
4. Four states reported widespread influenza activity, a decline of three states from the week before.
5. Nearly all the influenza viruses identified so far were 2009 H1N1 influenza A. These viruses remained similar to the virus chosen for the vaccine. The identified viruses remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir.

In general, since early November cases of H1N1 have continued to decline. Scientists keeping track of the information say that as pandemics go, 2009 H1N1 has turned out to be a mild one. Health officials now are pondering: Will there be a second wave of cases in the new year? Health officials warn that there are still four to five months left in the influenza season giving plenty of time for the virus to make its rounds and find new hosts.

Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues have been studying the H1N1 virus since last spring. Lipsitch anticipates far fewer deaths from 2009 H1N1 than initially predicted. He believes the most likely number will end up between 10,000 and 15,000. Their estimates are far below the toll of the 1957 flu, which killed 69,800 people in the U.S. Health officials do caution on comparing previous pandemics to the current H1N1 outbreak however. Forty years ago health officials lacked the antiviral therapies and nationwide vaccination programs available today.

Health officials’ concern over another winter wave of influenza is all the more reason to continue aggressive anti-flu efforts. People should keep washing their hands, covering their coughs and getting vaccinated. Lipsitch says, “The more people who are vaccinated this year, the less likely the H1N1 virus, which will probably be around next year, will take hold and spread.”

All the Best!

Steve Victor