And the research hits just keep coming: this time, it's cancer and diabetes
Lung cancer pill cuts risk of death by 50%; scientists hack human cells to produce insulin, reverse diabetes in mice
(Photo credit: National Cancer Institute)
Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the exciting new coming out of the research labs. It seems there’s a tidal wave of new discoveries, or at least deeper insights, that all point to dramatic breakthroughs…
In the diagnosis and treatment of diseases
In the cellular-level improvement of the body’s own immune and cell repair systems
In slowing down, and possibly some day reversing, aging itself
And on the hardware/software side, in developing new diagnostics, devices and systems for dealing with mobility, prevention and other age-related conditions
From a layman’s point of view, it’s impossible to authoritatively assess any given study or new discovery. I have to rely on the credibility of the institutions where the research was performed and on the media reporting on the outcomes. What I can assess, though, is the sum total of all the hard work (and considerable money) now in play, and the momentum of all the discoveries — which is nothing short of profound.
This week, two new stories demonstrate the dazzling range and speed of what’s happening:
As reported here, a late-stage study by researchers from Yale University shows that taking the drug osimertinib once a day after surgery cuts the risk of dying from lung cancer by 51%.
From the report: “‘Treatment after surgery with osimertinib, also known as Tagrisso and made by AstraZeneca, ‘significantly lowered’ the risk of death in lung cancer patients, the trial results reported. ‘Adjuvant osimertinib demonstrated an unprecedented, highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful overall survival benefit in patients,’ the report said.
“After five years, 88% of patients who took the daily pill after the removal of their tumour were still alive, compared with 78% of patients treated with a placebo. Overall, there was a 51% lower risk of death for those who received osimertinib compared with those who received placebo.”
Researchers described the results as “thrilling.”
The money quote, from Dr. Rpy Herbst, deputy director of the Yale Cancer Center and lead author of the study:
“Thirty years ago there was nothing we could do for these patients. Now we have this potent drug.”
As reported here, scientists have “repurposed” human stomach cells into tissues that release insulin in response to rising blood sugar levels, and transplants of those cells (GINS, or gastric insulin-secreting) reversed diabetes in mice.
The experiments were lead by researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine in the USA.
The scientists first had to transform stomach cells into GINS cells. From the article: "‘The stomach makes its own hormone-secreting cells, and stomach cells and pancreatic cells are adjacent in the embryonic stage of development, so in that sense it isn't completely surprising that gastric stem cells can be so readily transformed into beta-like insulin-secreting cells,’ says Joe Zhou, an associate professor of regenerative medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.”
The idea has been known for some time, but getting it to work has apparently not been successful until now: “In this investigation, the team activated three specific proteins in the cells that control gene expression, in a particular order, to trigger a transformation into GINS cells.
Scientists have repurposed human stomach cells into tissues that release insulin in response to rising blood sugar levels in a breakthrough that promises an effective way to manage conditions such as type 1 diabetes… The reprogramming process is highly efficient, and when the cells were grown in small clusters known as organoids they showed sensitivity to glucose. They were then able to show long-lasting effects on diabetes in mice.” The GINS organoids were “stable upon transplantation,” exhibited glucose responsiveness 10 days after induction, and remained stable in the mice for as long as they were being tracked (6 months).
They reversed diabetes in the mice.
There are still some hurdles before this would work in humans, the researchers caution. There are differences between human and mouse stomach tissues that need to be looked at more closely. As well, the GINS cells need to be made less vulnerable to being attacked and rejected by the body’s immune system.
But if scientists can create these GINS organoids in the human body and keep them safe from being rejected, it would lead to a more natural way for the body to manage insulin levels, as opposed to insulin injections. The money quote, from Dr. Zhou:
"This is a proof-of-concept study that gives us a solid foundation for developing a treatment, based on patients' own cells, for type 1 diabetes and severe type 2 diabetes.”
It’s clear that — with or without the actual reversal of aging — we’re not going to recognize medicine in 10 years. It’s vital that we keep up to date on the new developments as we go along — which is one of the key arguments Larry Wolf and I are making in our new book, SuperAging: Getting Older Without Getting Old.
Have you read SuperAging yet? If so, we’d appreciate an Amazon review.
Larry Wolf and I are very encouraged by the positive response to our new book, SuperAging: Getting Older Without Getting Old.
If you’ve read it, we’d really appreciate a positive reader review on Amazon.
If you haven’t seen the book yet, you can find out more — and read the many positive expert endorsements and media coverage we’ve been honored to receive — at our website, SuperAging.Info. We hope you’ll take a look!