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Cancer drug trial using COVID vaccine technology shows 'highly encouraging' results

The same mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines can significantly increase the survival of patients with an aggressive form of skin cancer, according to new results.

 

Cancer drug trial using COVID vaccine technology shows 'highly encouraging' results© Other

Data released by the biotech company Moderna show that melanoma patients given an existing immunotherapy drug called Keytruda were 44% less likely to die or suffer a recurrence of the cancer if they were also given the vaccine.

The personalised jab was made using genetic material from individual patients' tumour cells, priming their immune system to be on the watch for the first signs of the cancer returning.

The phase 2 trial involved 157 patients with advanced stage 3 or 4 melanoma who had previously had surgery to remove the tumour.

Patients were given nine doses of the vaccine, code-named mRNA-4157/V940, over a year.

Moderna and Merck, the company that makes Keytruda, will forge ahead with a larger late-stage clinical trial starting next year.

Stéphane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive officer, said: "Today's results are highly encouraging for the field of cancer treatment.

"mRNA has been transformative for COVID-19, and now, for the first time ever, we have demonstrated the potential for mRNA to have an impact on outcomes in a randomized clinical trial in melanoma."       

Scientists are optimistic that mRNA vaccines will improve survival rates in many cancers that are currently hard to beat.

How much celery should you eat in a day?

A general rule is 1 cup of raw veggies, 1/2 cooked and 1/4th cup dried equals one serving of fruits or vegetables. I always recommend having an abundance of vegetables in your diet that includes variety. This means that eating celery alone may not warrant the same benefit as eating a diverse set of vegetables such as carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, etc. Please do not feel like you have to limit your pool of vegetable intake to these examples, but as a general recommendation please try to eat more than just celery as your vegetable source. Thanks for your question! Noah, RD

Expert opinion from Michael Colangelo

Master of Science (M.S.) in Nutrition · 15 years of experience · USA

Celery is a low calorie, nutrient rich green vegetable that can be eaten daily. Anywhere from 1 to 4 stalks per day is a reasonable amount to consume along with a variety of other vegetables. Eating more than that may cause stomach discomfort. Additionally, celery typically contains a relatively large amount of pesticide residues compared to other vegetables. It is likely advantageous to purchase or grow only organic celery to avoid additional agricultural chemicals.

In order to achieve the best benefits from celery, Kenneth Shafer, MD, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinical Foundation's Family Health Center, recommends about four stalks of celery per day or one cup of chopped celery. However, it is important you are also consuming a wide variety of other vegetables in your diet. 

Experts warn of World Cup 'camel flu' - which kills up to a THIRD of everyone it strikes

Football fans returning from Qatar are being advised to watch out for the signs of camel flu - a potentially lethal respiratory illness - symptoms of which include a fever, coughing and vomiting.

Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers) can be contracted through close contact with camels, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

The body has warned UK clinicians to 'be alert' to the prospect of returning World Cup fans showing signs of illness, The Times reports.

A briefing note states: 'The risk of infections to UK residents is very low but may be higher in those with exposure to specific risk factors within the region - such as to camels. 

 

Camels are thought to be the natural host of the virus, which is from the same family as the virus behind the Covid pandemic© Provided by Daily Mail 

 

MERS SYMPTOMS: Its symptoms include a fever, cough, breathing difficulties, diarrhoea and vomiting© Provided by Daily Mail

'Mers can be acquired from close contact with camels or from consuming camels products eg, unpasteurised camel milk.'

Other risks include close contact with an infected person. Many excited fans are reported to have enjoyed camel rides in Qatar while following England's journey in the World Cup. 

Five instances of Mers have been reported in the UK to date, with the last known occurrence in August 2018.

Routine guidance was issued by the UK Health Security Agency last month, with no new cases yet reported.

The disease was first recognised in 2012 and since then, there have been 2,600 cases worldwide - mostly in the Arab peninsula, The World Health Organisation reports.

Over a third of infected patients are reported to have died. Two cases have been recorded in Qatar.

Symptoms if the disease include fever, coughing and vomiting.

Anyone coming back to Britain with tell-tale MERS symptoms, which are like that of a cold or flu, are told to seek medical advice and share their travel history, so infection control and testing can be done.

Similar measures sparked an Ebola scare in the UK last month, after a person in the UK who had been in Uganda — where the virus is roaming — developed cold-like symptoms.

There is no specific treatment for the illness, so doctors work to ease a patient's symptoms. Around 35 per cent of those who get MERS die as a result.