Mission Moment: Cancer Vaccines

Cancer vaccines – new hope for the future, and the future is now!

Our immune systems are designed to recognize "self" versus "foreign" so that they can attack cells that are made foreign by viral or bacterial infection. Unfortunately, cancer cells develop tricks to evade immune attack, and anti-cancer treatments can seriously damage normal immune cells as well as cancer cells, allowing life-threatening infections to occur in many patients, especially those treated with high-dose therapies.

So, researchers are learning how to strengthen immune responses to improve clinical outcomes for cancer patients, by fighting infections and fighting cancer too. These new treatments are called "immunotherapies" and include vaccines.

Of course, vaccines have long been used to prevent potentially life-threatening infections like cholera, measles, polio and flu. Now, vaccines are being developed to help cancer patients by stimulating a patient's immune system to better recognize and attack foreign molecules on cancer cells. Especially good progress is being made in developing therapeutic vaccines for lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia patients. The Society is currently investing almost $24 million in sixteen investigations at the forefront of vaccine research.

As with so many advances in blood cancer research, the vaccine strategies that are proven effective for our patients are likely to help other cancer patients too. The foreign molecules will be different, but the basic principles will be the same.

For more information go to: www.lls.org www.teamintraining.org

Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson vs. Mario and Sonic

These guys have modded the game to add these characters. I'd like to see Stewie take on He-Man



Speaking of He-man. Here is a Public Service Announcement:

2 weeks notice

Apparently, I have to rest for 2 weeks after my marathon to avoid serious injury. I may still be able to run the half marathon in bellevue, but my coach has advised me to put this decision off until I come back from San Diego. Woe is me, pox on injury and all of that...

life after life

So I've been thinking, this running thing is good. June 3rd is building up to be a real climax, but I know I'll be down for weeks after it ends. Especially considering what follows the runner's high. Interesting thing, no one told me about the runner's low. you gots to keep on running lest you hit the low. Then a body at rest tends to stay at rest. so in keeping with one of them Newton's laws, I shall keep this body in motion. What better way to run a marathon than run around your neighborhood! The Bellevue seafair marathon actually cuts right through where I live. Now I dont mean to join them mistream, but I've always wanted to run past my house . Ever notice you never run/drive past your house, only to or from? I've counted 3 times total in my lifetime that I have actually gone past my place of residence. Some juvenile fascination I guess.

Its a month after San Diego and I dont know what physical state I'll be in. I still have to consult the coaches but if I can pull this one off, then I know the first time wasn't a fluke.

hilly... its very hilly

where the hell is matt?

I am inspired by people's love to travel. A colleague of mine and his wife took a year off work and are biking around the world http://www.erck.org/ Also Matt is dancing all over the wolrd (http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/):

ice ice baby...

This weekend marked the 17 mile marker for me (~ 2 hours 40 minutes) . I have never been so sore in my life. knees/joints/muscles everthing was aching. the solution as crazy as it sounds was an ice bath. waist deep in ice water while wearing my ice-age-is-coming-jacket gloves and hat. The first 5 minutes felt like my feet were about to explode. Then everything just goes numb. its very nice :) but 10 minutes is all I wanted to spend on this. the pain goes away and the endorphins do the rest. I'm on a 3 day runners high today. absolute bliss.

called up my doctor cousin. He said something about capillaries and blood and cold and good. So medically this is all very sound.

oh and never carry pretzels with extra salt in your pockets while running. this gives chafing a whole new meaning.


blurk blurk blurk

The day the music died

... May 15th 2007. Because of new licensing fees internet radio, internet radio stations will all but shutdown operations. We are talking npr, pandora, this is no good.

http://www.savenetradio.org/ read more here. I dont know why there isnt more buzz on this. I'm sad today.

Licensing killed the (internet) radio star...