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Low-Tech Sources, High-Tech Methods by Yael Li-Ron A clinical trial currently under way at the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is testing a vaccine for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. The vaccine-based on the HER2/Neu protein found in breast cancer cells-attempts to boost the response of T lymphocytes to kill cancer cells. HER2/Neu is found in about one-third of women with breast cancer. If the vaccine proves successful, it will be used to treat women with advanced stages of breast cancer. The body's own immune system doesn't fight tumors because they're not foreign objects. Researchers are now looking for ways to use vaccines against tumors. One method calls for genetically engineering cancer cells to secrete the hormone GM-CSF-which stimulates the immune system-then reintroducing those cells into the patient's body. Earlier trials have shown promise. A vitamin A compound known as retinoid (it's related to Retin-A) can prevent lung cancer in people who are former smokers. Researchers have found that quercetin-found in apples, onions, leafy vegetables, tea, beans and red wine-can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. And just when you thought beef and dairy products were bad for you, along comes conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to prove you wrong. CLA is found in grazing cattle and, according to studies, it might help fight fat. Some experts say that the current obesity problem in America is due to reduced CLA content in cow's milk-compared, that is, to a few decades ago, before cattle were mass-produced. A new genetically engineered potato might prove useful as a hepatitis B vaccine. If researchers' claims are proven correct, this potato might be a cheap way of distributing a vaccine in developing countries.
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