Biology is one vast data desert with oases here and there from which will flow wonders until the whole thing is oasified
Calling it now: the lesson in biology will be bitter and very sweet.View quoted post on X
Benjamin Vincent
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physician-scientist @UNC_Lineberger
esse quam videri; soli deo gloria
esse quam videri; soli deo gloria
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Both/And here? Subtypes are attractors in n-dimensional space where n is the set of all biological features, useful insofar as shared features provide information beyond individual features themselves?
Try this. There are no “subtypes.” Each individual patient is different and can be defined at the molecular level by technology that is now routinely available in many countries.View quoted post on X
Elephant by Jason Isbell is still the goat of cancer songs.
But it is possible to die with dignity (just as it's possible to live without it).
But it is possible to die with dignity (just as it's possible to live without it).
The vaccine here was shown to work best when with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, antibody to a cell surface protein, and cytokine therapy in murine models 10 years ago (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27775706/). Unfortunately this four-part combination hasn't been tested in human trials (many challenges to combination therapy trials). The extent to which each therapeutic element contributed to the overall response is unknown (maybe it's all additive), but I hope Elicio will test their vaccine eventually with more combinations.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Eradication of large established tumors in mice by combination immunotherapy that engages innate... Checkpoint blockade with antibodies specific for cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein (CTLA)-4 or programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1; also known as PD-1) elicits durable tumor regression in metast... As a cancer patient I want this to work. But the 99% is an immune response, not a cure. The trial missed its main goal: ~24 vs ~21 months cancer-free, not a real difference. Patients with the strongest T cell response did far better, which is why the phase 3 matters.View quoted post on X
Fwiw I'm working on my own personalized mRNA vaccine for my own cancer, so have been paying close attention to this type of thing lately. More here on that if anyone's interested:
x.com/kevinace/statu…
To everyone with cancer who has reached out to @iskander and I about personalized therapeutic cancer vaccines: Your stories are an inspiration. I’m sorry we don’t have something that we know works. I’m sorry the vaccines cost over a hundred thousand dollars outside of trials, and so they aren’t available to everyone. I’m sorry we aren’t moving faster to make them work and make them cheaper. I promise you we are trying, but promises don’t cure cancer. I wish we were smarter, faster, and better. Despite the challenges we are not going to stop.