Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing No one injured as fire torches patio at Medford apartment Crater Lake DAR to meet Jan. 9 OSP traffic stop nets 14 pounds of methamphetamine Cold temperatures to stick around through Wednesday Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing No one injured as fire torches patio at Medford apartment OSP traffic stop nets 14 pounds of methamphetamine UPDATED: More vehicles stolen from Medford driveways as they idle Emergency Services Politics and Elections State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Dam problems force early fish transfer into Willamette Valley lakes Portland mattress stowaway cat back home Oregon missionary deported back to U.S. faces molestation charges Poverty rate in Oregon schools jumps since 2007 Northwest poultry producers fear bird flu outbreak may hurt exports Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Sidney A. Stitt Edward James Kelly Dean Seaney Jack Roy Graves Adrian "Red" Wineman Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Lions’ Suh cleared top play Sunday Rousing reception for Harbaugh in Michigan return Giants' Bumgarner chosen top male athlete Ducks' Helfrich is 'other guy' among star coaches Stoudt fuels Clemson rout of Sooners Varsity 541 College Sports Rousing reception for Harbaugh in Michigan return Ducks' Helfrich is 'other guy' among star coaches Stoudt fuels Clemson rout of Sooners Oregon outlasts UC Irvine in overtime Frosh center scores 27 in Duke win Pro Sports Lions’ Suh cleared top play Sunday Giants' Bumgarner chosen top male athlete Plumlee leads Nets past Kings Handful of coaching positions come open Harbaugh signs with Michigan, says source Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape Business Latest Stories Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Milken economist headlines Southern Oregon Business Conference Ride & Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Silvio Calabi: Infiniti Q50 offers business-class driving Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Opinion Latest Shayne Looper: Who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Other Views: Oregon incomes still lag behind Granlund cartoon: New Year Late Night Granlund cartoon: New Year's predictions Editorials Other Views: Oregon incomes still lag behind Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Other Views: Roseburg VA director sets the right goals Our View: Thanks to four departing leaders Other Views: Yes, Virginia ... Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 28 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 26 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 25 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Lifestyle Latest stories Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health Mark L. Hopkins: New Year’s resolutions and more HealthStyle: New year, new you Food Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Home and Garden Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Health Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Dr. Murray Feingold: Have a happy and stress-free holiday Hiking Biking Faith (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Fans, friends and family welcome home victorious SOU team at airport Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer Top 10 CDs of 2014 Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory Theater Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning Music Top 10 CDs of 2014 A tribute to Joe Cocker Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Community Events Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dance to the Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra Dining Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing ... No one injured as fire torches patio at Medford apartment ... OSP traffic stop nets 14 pounds of methamphetamine ... Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing ... No one injured as fire torches patio at Medford apartment ... OSP traffic stop nets 14 pounds of methamphetamine ... Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Comment By Dr. Jeff Hersh Wicked Local MailTribune.com By Dr. Jeff Hersh Wicked Local Posted Dec. 29, 2014 @ 1:02 pm By Dr. Jeff Hersh Wicked Local Posted Dec. 29, 2014 @ 1:02 pm » Social News Q: What is a monoclonal antibody, and what role does it play in medicine? A: We all have our own personalized immune system. If we are exposed to a disease we develop antibodies to antigens (a substance the body identifies as “foreign,” whether it’s an infection, cancer or other condition) from it, starting a cascade of immune system activity. Monoclonal antibodies are multiple copies of one specific Ab to one specific antigen. The laboratory development of mAb’s is a rapidly developing technology. There are high-level categorizations of diseases; viral infections and cancer are two examples. Viral infections can be further categorized, for example influenza (flu), Ebola, cold viruses, etc. And of course cancers can be further categorized, such as lung cancer, leukemia, breast cancer, etc. These are still a fairly high level of categorization. Sometimes there is significant commonality to different strains of a disease, and treatments may be developed to benefit most patients with them: For some cancers, biopsy and imaging tests may be able to identify and “stage” the disease, and then a “standard” treatment for that genre of cancer may be sufficient for a high percentage of patients. However, many conditions manifest differently in different people, and some diseases rapidly change/mutate; hence a more detailed characterization to identify diagnostic tests and/or treatments may be beneficial: The flu vaccine is changed every year. Although a certain cancer therapy may benefit many patients, not all patients will respond to it. What if we could find something specific to a given disease in an individual patient? What if we could then develop specialized testing for this condition? And what if we can then develop a focused treatment, specialized for the specific condition in the individual patient? These questions have led us to the concept of precision medicine (also called personalized medicine), where a disease in an individual patient is categorized in a detailed way; the more detailed the characterization, the more specific a diagnosis and treatment can be developed. The steps to achieve this include: Identify specifics of the condition: This may be a unique protein for a cancer, an antigen for an infectious or other disease, or characteristic aspects of an autoimmune disease. A mAb may then be developed which is specific for the condition. Identify specialized testing: Although there are many possibilities here, let’s use immunoPET as an example. If a mAb can be identified it can be “tagged” (for PET scans this is done by attaching a radioisotope) and the locations where the mAb binds (the locations of the condition, for example a cancer) can be identified. If this can be done quantitatively, this technique may be used not only to stage the disease, but also to monitor treatment response. Develop individualized treatments: This may include vaccines to boost the body’s immune response (this is done in preventative vaccines, but is also being utilized as a treatment for certain cancers and other conditions), or to develop cell-targeted treatments (such as cancer therapies, whether it is treatment directed at cancer cells or to things that support cancer growth such as growth factors, blood supply, etc.). For example, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) may attach an anti-cancer treatment to a mAb; these then ‘seek out’ the specific cancer cells (utilizing the mAb) and kill them. Right now there are over 200 mAb’s being evaluated and developed to help diagnose and/or treat many different cancers and diseases. In parallel, methods to utilize mAb’s to create diagnostic tests to help identify, stage and monitor diseases (including monitoring response to treatment) are being refined and optimized. Finally, ways to utilize mAb’s, and other disease-specific characteristics, to create new treatments are well underway. There are many technical hurdles to overcome in order to realize the potential from this approach. The good news is that precision medicine is rapidly advancing, with multiple diagnostic tests and treatments (such as ways to suppress the immune system to treat autoimmune conditions and multiple treatments/tests based on specifically identified cancer characteristics) already helping many patients. Jeff Hersh, Ph.D., M.D., can be reached at [email protected]. By Dr. Jeff Hersh Wicked Local MailTribune.com By Dr. Jeff Hersh Wicked Local Posted Dec. 29, 2014 @ 1:02 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501