The Economist honors cancer immunotherapy pioneer James Allison

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University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

2013 Innovation Award for bioscience goes to MD Anderson scientist

HOUSTON For basic science research that opened a completely new approach for treating cancer, The Economist has named James Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as its 2013 Innovations Award winner in Bioscience.

Allison identified an immune checkpoint molecule that turns off T cells white blood cells that are the attack dogs of the immune system before they can mount a successful response to tumors that they are primed to destroy.

An antibody that blocks that immune checkpoint molecule, unleashing a T cell attack, became the first drug to ever extend survival for patients with late-stage melanoma. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ipilumumab (Yervoy) for treatment of metastatic melanoma in 2011.

"The approval of ipilimumab in 2011 represents the culmination of years of research by Dr Allison into tumor immunotherapy," said Tom Standage, Digital Editor at The Economist and chairman of the panel of 30 judges. "We are delighted to recognize his pioneering achievement in the fight against cancer."

The Economist is a 170-year-old weekly news publication based in London with a circulation of 4.5 million worldwide. Its Innovation Awards recognize significant contributions in eight fields: Bioscience, Computing and Telecommunications, Consumer Products, Energy and Environment, Process and Services, Social and Economic, No Boundaries and Corporate.

"I'm honored to receive this award, which recognizes the increasing importance of immune therapy in the treatment of cancer due to the efforts of many scientists, clinicians and patients willing to participate in clinical trials," Allison said.

The adaptive immune system routinely identifies, destroys and remembers infections and abnormal cells. Yet cancer cells evade or suppress immune attack, largely frustrating efforts to develop vaccines and other immune therapies against tumors.

Drug treats immune system, not specific tumor

"Immune checkpoint blockade treats the immune system, not the tumor, so we expect this approach to work across many types of cancer," Allison said. In addition to melanoma, ipilumumab has been effective in clinical trials against prostate, kidney, lung and ovarian cancers.

Allison's basic science research on T cell biology uncovered the receptor on these cells used to recognize and bind to antigens abnormalities that mark defective cells or viruses and bacteria for attack.

He also found that T cells require a second molecular signal to launch a response after they've bound to an antigen. And he identified a molecule called CTLA-4 that acts as an off switch to inhibit activated T cells from attacking.

This led to development of ipilumumab to block CTLA-4. In clinical trials against stage 4 melanoma, the drug extinguished the disease in 20 percent of patients for up to 12 years and counting.

Since arriving at MD Anderson in November 2012, Allison founded and directs an immunotherapy platform to cultivate, support and test new development of immunology-based drugs and combinations. MD Anderson's Moon Shots program, designed to accelerate the conversion of scientific discoveries into clinical advances that reduce cancer deaths, taps the expertise of the immunotherapy platform.

Allison earned his doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin in 1978, joining MD Anderson's faculty after his postdoctoral fellowship. He left MD Anderson for the University of California, Berkeley and later moved to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and has won many honors for biomedical research, including the first AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in April 2013.

Allison will receive his award at a ceremony in London on Dec. 3.

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Nov-2013

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Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

2013 Innovation Award for bioscience goes to MD Anderson scientist

HOUSTON For basic science research that opened a completely new approach for treating cancer, The Economist has named James Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as its 2013 Innovations Award winner in Bioscience.

Allison identified an immune checkpoint molecule that turns off T cells white blood cells that are the attack dogs of the immune system before they can mount a successful response to tumors that they are primed to destroy.

An antibody that blocks that immune checkpoint molecule, unleashing a T cell attack, became the first drug to ever extend survival for patients with late-stage melanoma. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ipilumumab (Yervoy) for treatment of metastatic melanoma in 2011.

"The approval of ipilimumab in 2011 represents the culmination of years of research by Dr Allison into tumor immunotherapy," said Tom Standage, Digital Editor at The Economist and chairman of the panel of 30 judges. "We are delighted to recognize his pioneering achievement in the fight against cancer."

The Economist is a 170-year-old weekly news publication based in London with a circulation of 4.5 million worldwide. Its Innovation Awards recognize significant contributions in eight fields: Bioscience, Computing and Telecommunications, Consumer Products, Energy and Environment, Process and Services, Social and Economic, No Boundaries and Corporate.

"I'm honored to receive this award, which recognizes the increasing importance of immune therapy in the treatment of cancer due to the efforts of many scientists, clinicians and patients willing to participate in clinical trials," Allison said.

The adaptive immune system routinely identifies, destroys and remembers infections and abnormal cells. Yet cancer cells evade or suppress immune attack, largely frustrating efforts to develop vaccines and other immune therapies against tumors.

Drug treats immune system, not specific tumor

"Immune checkpoint blockade treats the immune system, not the tumor, so we expect this approach to work across many types of cancer," Allison said. In addition to melanoma, ipilumumab has been effective in clinical trials against prostate, kidney, lung and ovarian cancers.

Allison's basic science research on T cell biology uncovered the receptor on these cells used to recognize and bind to antigens abnormalities that mark defective cells or viruses and bacteria for attack.

He also found that T cells require a second molecular signal to launch a response after they've bound to an antigen. And he identified a molecule called CTLA-4 that acts as an off switch to inhibit activated T cells from attacking.

This led to development of ipilumumab to block CTLA-4. In clinical trials against stage 4 melanoma, the drug extinguished the disease in 20 percent of patients for up to 12 years and counting.

Since arriving at MD Anderson in November 2012, Allison founded and directs an immunotherapy platform to cultivate, support and test new development of immunology-based drugs and combinations. MD Anderson's Moon Shots program, designed to accelerate the conversion of scientific discoveries into clinical advances that reduce cancer deaths, taps the expertise of the immunotherapy platform.

Allison earned his doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin in 1978, joining MD Anderson's faculty after his postdoctoral fellowship. He left MD Anderson for the University of California, Berkeley and later moved to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and has won many honors for biomedical research, including the first AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in April 2013.

Allison will receive his award at a ceremony in London on Dec. 3.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/uotm-teh110713.php
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Sony confirms five devices will get Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade, 4.3 to roll out to ten next month

After taking a week to crunch the numbers, look at the data points and put together some fancy pie charts (we assume), Sony's finally ready to reveal its initial firmware upgrade plans. Five devices in the lineup made the cut to receive Android 4.4 KitKat at a to-be-determined future date, and ten ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/iV1y5oFjv-4/
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Kerry heading to Geneva in sign of Iran progress

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif waits for the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Six world powers are dangling the prospect of easing some sanctions against Iran if Tehran agrees to curb work that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Talks resume Thursday between Iran and the six _ The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif waits for the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Six world powers are dangling the prospect of easing some sanctions against Iran if Tehran agrees to curb work that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Talks resume Thursday between Iran and the six _ The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman arrives prior to the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Six world powers are dangling the prospect of easing some sanctions against Iran if Tehran agrees to curb work that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Talks resume Thursday between Iran and the six _ The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

A general view shows participants before the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Six world powers are dangling the prospect of easing some sanctions against Iran if Tehran agrees to curb work that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Talks resume Thursday between Iran and the six _ The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, left, speaks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, right, during a photo opportunity prior the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva Switzerland, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Six world powers are dangling the prospect of easing some sanctions against Iran if Tehran agrees to curb work that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Talks resume Thursday between Iran and the six _ The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

White House press secretary Jay Carney pauses during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Carney answered questions on negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program, and the ongoing rollout of the new health care law. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

GENEVA (AP) — Iran's chief nuclear negotiator signaled progress at talks with six world powers Thursday on a deal to cap some of his country's atomic programs in exchange for limited relief from sanctions stifling Iran's economy, saying the six had accepted Tehran's proposals on how to proceed.

U.S. officials said Secretary of State John Kerry will fly to Geneva on Friday to participate in the negotiations — a last-minute decision that suggests a deal could be imminent.

A senior State Department official traveling with Kerry in Amman, Jordan, said the secretary would come to Geneva "to help narrow differences in negotiations." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information about the Geneva visit.

Even if an agreement is reached, it would only be the start of a long process to reduce Iran's potential nuclear threat, with no guarantee of ultimate success.

Still, a limited accord would mark a breakthrough after nearly a decade of mostly inconclusive talks focused on limiting, if not eliminating, Iranian atomic programs that could be turned from producing energy into making weapons.

Tehran's chief nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, told Iranian state TV that the six — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — "clearly said that they accept the proposed framework by Iran." He later told CNN that he thinks negotiators at the table are now "ready to start drafting" an accord that outlines specific steps to be taken.

Though Araghchi described the negotiations as "very difficult," he told Iranian state TV that he expected agreement on details by Friday, the last scheduled round of the current talks.

The upbeat comments suggested that negotiators in Geneva were moving from broad discussions over a nuclear deal to details meant to limit Tehran's ability to make atomic weapons. In return, Iran would start getting relief from sanctions that have hit its economy hard.

U.S. officials said Kerry will travel to the Geneva talks after a brief stop in Israel, where he will hold a third meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has spoken out against any limited deal that would allow the Iranians sanctions relief.

In Geneva, Kerry is expected to meet Friday with the European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the schedule.

The talks are primarily focused on the size and output of Iran's enrichment program, which can create both reactor fuel and weapons-grade material suitable for a nuclear bomb. Iran insists it is pursuing only nuclear energy, medical treatments and research, but the United States and its allies fear that Iran could turn this material into the fissile core of nuclear warheads.

President Barack Obama, in an interview with NBC on Thursday, described any sanctions relief as "modest" but said core sanctions against Iran would remain in place.

"Our job is not to trust the Iranians," Obama said. "Our job is to put in place mechanisms where we can verify what they're doing and not doing when it comes to their nuclear program."

International negotiators representing the six powers declined to comment on Araghchi's statement. Bur White House spokesman Jay Carney elaborated on what the U.S. calls a "first step" of a strategy meant to ultimately contain Iran's ability to use its nuclear program to make weapons.

An initial agreement would "address Iran's most advanced nuclear activities; increase transparency so Iran will not be able to use the cover of talks to advance its program; and create time and space as we negotiate a comprehensive agreement," Carney told reporters in Washington.

The six would consider "limited, targeted and reversible relief that does not affect our core sanctions," he said, alluding to penalties crippling Tehran's oil exports. If Iran reneges, said Carney, "the temporary, modest relief would be terminated, and we would be in a position to ratchet up the pressure even further by adding new sanctions."

He described any temporary, initial relief of sanctions as likely "more financial rather than technical." Diplomats have previously said initial sanction rollbacks could free Iranian funds in overseas accounts and allow trade in gold and petrochemicals.

Warily watching from the sidelines, Israel warned against a partial agreement that foresees lifting sanctions now instead of waiting for a rigorous final accord that eliminates any possibility of Iran making nuclear weapons.

At a meeting with U.S. legislators in Jerusalem, Netanyahu spoke of "the deal of the century for Iran." While divulging no details, he said the proposed first step at Geneva "will relieve all the (sanctions) pressure inside Iran."

The last round of talks three weeks ago reached agreement on a framework of possible discussion points, and the two sides kicked off Thursday's round focused on getting to that first step.

Thursday's meeting ended about an hour after it began, followed by bilateral meetings, including one between the U.S and Iranian delegations. EU spokesman Michael Mann said the talks were "making progress."

Before the morning round, Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, met with the EU's Ashton, who is convening the meeting. Asked afterward about the chances of agreement on initial steps this week, Zarif told reporters: "If everyone tries their best, we may have one."

After nearly a decade of deadlock, Iran seems more amenable to making concessions to the six countries. Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, has indicated he could cut back on the nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

Despite the seemingly calmer political backdrop, issues remain.

Iranian hardliners want a meaningful — and quick — reduction of the sanctions in exchange for any concessions, while some U.S. lawmakers want significant rollbacks in Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for any loosening of actions.

_____

Associated Press Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report. AP writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington and Nasser Karimi in Tehran also contributed.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-11-07-Iran-Nuclear-Talks/id-06d9351f7e6e414eb79371e92e4f3c63
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Taylor Swift Gives Some Love to Her Fans

She won three awards at the 2013 CMA Awards on Wednesday (November 6), and Taylor Swift didn't forget to give her loyal fans a loving shout-out backstage.

From a press room at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, the 23-year-old said, "For me when I think about them, and I think about my fans as a group. I think about the little things. I think about the letters that I get from classrooms, and the YouTube videos of some little girl opening up her Christmas present and it's tickets to my show. And I think of young girls learning lessons on guitar."

The "22" singer continued, "Sometimes I'll sit in a position where I can watch people leave the shows and I'll look at the shirts that they made and the signs and some people will cover themselves in Christmas lights so I can see them from the stage. I know that's creepy but I just like to watch."

Taylor also responded to the apparent hatred spewing from pop queen Lady Gaga's fans, saying, "I just feel so proud that my fans are always nice to other fans," she added. "They don't say hateful things. They don't say they're going to set people on fire or anything. They're not sending death threats to other people."

Reports state that after Lady Gaga began a feud with "E! Fashion Police" hostess Kelly Osbourne, Gaga's "Little Monsters" sent her hateful messages. The 27-year-old responded to her fans, writing, "Monsters, please just focus on the positive of tonight's performance and do not send any hateful messages. I don't support it. #SpreadLove."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-gives-some-love-her-fans-957353
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FDA to ban artery-clogging trans fats

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Alexes Garcia makes cinnamon rolls for student's lunch in the kitchen at Kepner Middle School in Denver. The rolls are made using apple sauce instead of trans fats. Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade as nutritionists have criticized them and local governments have banned them. The Food and Drug Administration is now finishing the job as they announce Nov. 7, 2013, that it will require the food industry to gradually phase out trans fats, saying they are a threat to the health of Americans.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Alexes Garcia makes cinnamon rolls for student's lunch in the kitchen at Kepner Middle School in Denver. The rolls are made using apple sauce instead of trans fats. Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade as nutritionists have criticized them and local governments have banned them. The Food and Drug Administration is now finishing the job as they announce Nov. 7, 2013, that it will require the food industry to gradually phase out trans fats, saying they are a threat to the health of Americans.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is finishing the job.

The FDA announced Thursday it will require the food industry to gradually phase out artificial trans fats, saying they are a threat to people's health. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the move could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year.

Hamburg said that while the amount of trans fats in the country's diet has declined dramatically in the last decade, they "remain an area of significant public health concern." The trans fats have long been criticized by nutritionists, and New York City and other local governments have banned them.

The agency isn't yet setting a timeline for the phase-out, but it will collect comments for two months before officials determine how long it will take. Different foods may have different timelines, depending how easy it is to find a substitute.

"We want to do it in a way that doesn't unduly disrupt markets," said Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner for foods. Still, he says, the food "industry has demonstrated that it is, by and large, feasible to do."

Though they have been removed from many items, the fats are still found in processed foods, including in some microwave popcorns and frozen pizzas, refrigerated doughs, cookies, biscuits and ready-to-use frostings. They are also sometimes used by restaurants that use the fats for frying. Many larger chains have phased them out, but smaller restaurants may still get food containing trans fats from suppliers.

Trans fats are widely considered the worst kind for your heart, even worse than saturated fats, which also can contribute to heart disease. Trans fats are used both in processed food and in restaurants, often to improve the texture, shelf life or flavor of foods. Diners shouldn't be able to detect a taste difference if trans fats are replaced by other fats.

To phase them out, the FDA said it had made a preliminary determination that trans fats no longer fall in the agency's "generally recognized as safe" category, which is reserved for thousands of additives that manufacturers can add to foods without FDA review. Once trans fats are off the list, anyone who wants to use them would have to petition the agency for a regulation allowing it, and that would likely not be approved.

The fats are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it more solid, which is why they are often called partially hydrogenated oils. The FDA is not targeting small amounts of trans fats that occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, because they would be too difficult to remove and aren't considered a major public health threat on their own.

Scientists say there are no health benefits to trans fats and say they can raise levels of so-called "bad" cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States.

Many companies have already phased out trans fats, prompted by new nutrition labels introduced by FDA in 2006 that list trans fats and an by an increasing number of local laws that have banned them. In 2011, Wal Mart pledged to remove all artificial trans fats from the foods the company sells by 2016.

As a result of the local and federal efforts and many companies' willingness to remove them, consumers have slowly eaten fewer of the fats. According to the FDA, trans fat intake among American consumers declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to around one gram per day in 2012.

Dr. Leon Bruner, chief scientist at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said in a statement his group estimates that food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amount of trans fats in food products by 73 percent.

The group, which represents the country's largest food companies, did not speculate on a reasonable timeline or speak to how difficult the move may be for some manufacturers. Bruner said in a statement that "consumers can be confident that their food is safe, and we look forward to working with the FDA to better understand their concerns and how our industry can better serve consumers."

FDA officials say they have been working on trans fat issues for around 15 years — the first goal was to label them — and have been collecting data to justify a possible phase-out since just after President Barack Obama came into office in 2009.

The advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest first petitioned FDA to ban trans fats nine years ago. The group's director, Michael Jacobson, says the move is "one of the most important lifesaving actions the FDA could take."

He says the agency should try to move quickly as it determines a timeline.

"Six months or a year should be more than enough time, especially considering that companies have had a decade to figure out what to do," Jacobson said.

___

Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-11-07-FDA-Trans%20Fats/id-26773dba998a47c388bc1d3b1148cead
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US to lose vote at UNESCO, incurs debts

PARIS (AP) — American influence in culture, science and education around the world is facing a high-profile blow Friday as the U.S. is stripped of its voting rights at the world's cultural agency, UNESCO. And it would cost the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars to win this voice back.

The U.S. hasn't paid its dues to the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in three years, in protest over the decision by world governments to make Palestine a UNESCO member in 2011.

Under UNESCO rules, the U.S. has until Friday morning to resume funding, or it automatically loses its vote.

The suspension of U.S. contributions, which account for $80 million a year — 22 percent of UNESCO's overall budget — brought the agency to the brink of a financial crisis and forced it to cut American-led initiatives such as Holocaust education and tsunami research over the past two years.

It has worried many in Washington that the U.S. is on track to becoming a toothless UNESCO member with a weakened voice in international programs fighting extremism through education, and promoting gender equality and press freedoms.

"We won't be able to have the same clout," said Phyllis Magrab, the Washington-based U.S. National Commissioner for UNESCO. "In effect, we (now won't) have a full tool box. We're missing our hammer."

The UNESCO tension has prompted new criticism of U.S. laws that force an automatic funding cutoff for any U.N. agency with Palestine as a member.

The agency may be best known for its program to protect the cultures of the world via its Heritage sites, which include the Statue of Liberty and Mali's Timbuktu.

But its core mission, as conceived by the U.S., a co-founder of the agency in 1946, was to be an anti-extremist organization. In today's world, it tackles foreign policy issues such as access to clean water, teaches girls to read, works to eradicate poverty, promotes freedom of expression and gives people creative thinking skills to resist violent extremism.

Among UNESCO programs already slashed over funding shortages is one in Iraq that was intended to help restore proper water facilities. Another was a Holocaust and genocide awareness program in Africa to teach about non-violence, non-discrimination and ethnic tolerance, using the example of the mass killing of Jews during World War II.

This loss is a particular blow to the U.S., since Holocaust awareness was one of the areas the country aggressively promoted in the agency's agenda when it rejoined in 2002 after an 18-year hiatus, during which the U.S. had withdrawn from the organization over differences in vision.

The concern over UNESCO is resonating in the U.S. Congress.

"The United States must not voluntarily forfeit its leadership in the world community," Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, told The Associated Press in an email.

With efforts by President Barack Obama to get the money restored having failed or stalled, Ellison plans to introduce legislation in Congress to overturn what he calls the "antiquated" laws that automatically halted the flow of funds to the agency from November 2011.

The Obama administration has proposed language to amend the legislation, but it remains on the table amid recent U.S. budget setbacks.

For some it's a question of sooner rather than later, with the U.S. racking up arrears to UNESCO of some $220,000 a day, which it will have to pay back if it ever wants to fill the empty chair and get back the vote.

"Paying off three years is manageable, but it indeed becomes much more difficult if you allow many years to pass and the bill gets larger and larger and larger," said Esther Brimmer, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for international organizations.

The Palestinian Ambassador to UNESCO, Elias Sanbar, said other countries are beginning to make up for the U.S. shortfall.

"Is this in the interest of the U.S., to be replaced?" he asked.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova lamented the changes that are not only seeing America silenced within her organization but also bringing UNESCO financially to its knees.

"I regret to say that I'm seeing, in these last two years . a declining American influence and American involvement," Bokova told The Associated Press.

"I can't imagine how we could disengage with the United States at UNESCO. We are so intertwined with our message. . What I regret is that this decision became so divisive and triggered this suspension of the funding," she added.

Bokova said she accepts political reality and would find ways for UNESCO to continue its work, despite a 2014 budget that's down by an estimated $150 million.

Some fear this debacle is just the tip of the iceberg, and worry about more serious consequences, if Palestine joins other agencies such as the World Health Organization.

___

Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-lose-vote-unesco-incurs-debts-191117521.html
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'RoboCop' Trailer Accuses America Of Robo-Phobia

The sci-fi remake brings the futuristic police officer back to Detroit.


By Kevin P. Sullivan

Source:
http://www.mtv.comhttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1717037/robocop-new-movie-trailer.jhtml

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Unique change in protein structure guides production of RNA from DNA

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Gladstone Institutes

Gladstone-led study sheds light on critical molecular process

SAN FRANCISCO, CANovember 7, 2013One of biology's most fundamental processes is something called transcription. It is just one step of many required to build proteinsand without it life would not exist. However, many aspects of transcription remain shrouded in mystery. But now, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes are shedding light on key aspects of transcription, and in so doing are coming even closer to understanding the importance of this process in the growth and development of cellsas well as what happens when this process goes awry.

In the latest issue of Molecular Cell, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, describe the intriguing behavior of a protein called RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). The RNAPII protein is an enzyme, a catalyst that guides the transcription process by copying DNA into RNA, which forms a disposable blueprint for making proteins. Scientists have long known that RNAPII appears to stall or "pause" at specific genes early in transcription. But they were not sure as why.

"This so-called 'polymerase pausing' occurs when RNAPII literally stops soon after beginning transcription for a short period before starting up again," explained Dr. Ott, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. "All we knew was that this behavior was important for the precise transcription of DNA into RNA, so we set out to understand how, when andmost importantlywhy."

The research team focused their efforts on a segment of RNAPII called the C-terminal domain, or CTD. This section is most intimately involved with transcription regulation. Previous research had found that CTD's chemical structure is modified before and during transcription. However, the combinations of modifications as well as precisely how they influence or control transcription remained unclear. So in laboratory experiments on cells extracted from mammals, the researchers took a closer look.

The first breakthrough came when the research team identified a new type of modification, known as acetylation, which regulated transcription.

"Our next breakthrough occurred when we pinpointed the precise locations on the CTD where acetylation occurredand realized it was unique to higher eukaryotes," explained Sebastian Schrder, PhD, the paper's first author. "We then wanted to see how this mammalian-specific acetylation fit into the realm of polymerase pausing."

Now that the team knew where the CTD became acetylated, their next goal was to find out when. Clues to the timing of acetylation came in experiments where they mutated RNAPII so that CDT was unable to become acetylated. In these cases, the length of polymerase pausing dropped, and the necessary steps for the completion of transcription failed to occur. Additional experiments revealed the elusive timeline of acetylation and transcription.

"RNAPII binds to DNA to prepare for transcription. Shortly after that we see polymerase pausingat which point the CTD becomes highly acetylated," continued Dr. Shrder. "Soon after the pause, CTD is then deacetylatedthe original modification is reversedand transcription continues without a hitch."

Polymerase pausing is not unique to mammalsin fact it was characterized in HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, many years agobut the fact that the CTD becomes acetylated just before or during the time when transcription is paused appears to be unique. Drs. Ott and Schrder argue that CTD acetylation is a stabilizer, preparing RNAPII for efficient completion of transcription and slowing down the process to make sure everything is functioning correctlynot unlike the final 'systems check' a pilot must perform before takeoff.

These findings offer important insight into the relationship between acetylation and transcription. And given the importance of transcription in the growth and maturation of cells in general, the team's result stands to inform scientists about a variety of cellular processes. These include, for example, the mechanisms behind stem-cell development and what happens when normal cellular growth spirals out of control, such as in cancer.

"However, there is still much we don't know about acetylation as it relates to transcription," said Dr. Ott. "For example, if CTD acetylation is important for stabilizing transcriptional pausing, why do we also see CTD acetylation at non-paused genes, although at different locations? Further, we believe there may be other steps in the transcription cycle that depend upon acetylation. Our most immediate goal is to find them. By doing so, we hope to deepen our understanding of one of nature's most elegant biological processes."

###

Dr. Schrder performed this research at Gladstone while completing his PhD at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Eva Herker, PhD, Sean Thomas, Phd, Katrin Kaehlcke, Sungyoo Cho, Katherine Pollard, PhD, John Capra, PhD and Benoit Bruneau, PhD, also participated in this research at Gladstone, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds, the Human Frontiers Science Program and an E.G.G. fellowship.

About the Gladstone Institutes

Gladstone is an independent and nonprofit biomedical-research organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discovery and innovation to prevent, treat and cure cardiovascular, viral and neurological diseases. Gladstone is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.

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7-Nov-2013

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Contact: Anne Holden
anne.holden@gladstone.ucsf.edu
415-734-2534
Gladstone Institutes

Gladstone-led study sheds light on critical molecular process

SAN FRANCISCO, CANovember 7, 2013One of biology's most fundamental processes is something called transcription. It is just one step of many required to build proteinsand without it life would not exist. However, many aspects of transcription remain shrouded in mystery. But now, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes are shedding light on key aspects of transcription, and in so doing are coming even closer to understanding the importance of this process in the growth and development of cellsas well as what happens when this process goes awry.

In the latest issue of Molecular Cell, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, describe the intriguing behavior of a protein called RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). The RNAPII protein is an enzyme, a catalyst that guides the transcription process by copying DNA into RNA, which forms a disposable blueprint for making proteins. Scientists have long known that RNAPII appears to stall or "pause" at specific genes early in transcription. But they were not sure as why.

"This so-called 'polymerase pausing' occurs when RNAPII literally stops soon after beginning transcription for a short period before starting up again," explained Dr. Ott, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. "All we knew was that this behavior was important for the precise transcription of DNA into RNA, so we set out to understand how, when andmost importantlywhy."

The research team focused their efforts on a segment of RNAPII called the C-terminal domain, or CTD. This section is most intimately involved with transcription regulation. Previous research had found that CTD's chemical structure is modified before and during transcription. However, the combinations of modifications as well as precisely how they influence or control transcription remained unclear. So in laboratory experiments on cells extracted from mammals, the researchers took a closer look.

The first breakthrough came when the research team identified a new type of modification, known as acetylation, which regulated transcription.

"Our next breakthrough occurred when we pinpointed the precise locations on the CTD where acetylation occurredand realized it was unique to higher eukaryotes," explained Sebastian Schrder, PhD, the paper's first author. "We then wanted to see how this mammalian-specific acetylation fit into the realm of polymerase pausing."

Now that the team knew where the CTD became acetylated, their next goal was to find out when. Clues to the timing of acetylation came in experiments where they mutated RNAPII so that CDT was unable to become acetylated. In these cases, the length of polymerase pausing dropped, and the necessary steps for the completion of transcription failed to occur. Additional experiments revealed the elusive timeline of acetylation and transcription.

"RNAPII binds to DNA to prepare for transcription. Shortly after that we see polymerase pausingat which point the CTD becomes highly acetylated," continued Dr. Shrder. "Soon after the pause, CTD is then deacetylatedthe original modification is reversedand transcription continues without a hitch."

Polymerase pausing is not unique to mammalsin fact it was characterized in HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, many years agobut the fact that the CTD becomes acetylated just before or during the time when transcription is paused appears to be unique. Drs. Ott and Schrder argue that CTD acetylation is a stabilizer, preparing RNAPII for efficient completion of transcription and slowing down the process to make sure everything is functioning correctlynot unlike the final 'systems check' a pilot must perform before takeoff.

These findings offer important insight into the relationship between acetylation and transcription. And given the importance of transcription in the growth and maturation of cells in general, the team's result stands to inform scientists about a variety of cellular processes. These include, for example, the mechanisms behind stem-cell development and what happens when normal cellular growth spirals out of control, such as in cancer.

"However, there is still much we don't know about acetylation as it relates to transcription," said Dr. Ott. "For example, if CTD acetylation is important for stabilizing transcriptional pausing, why do we also see CTD acetylation at non-paused genes, although at different locations? Further, we believe there may be other steps in the transcription cycle that depend upon acetylation. Our most immediate goal is to find them. By doing so, we hope to deepen our understanding of one of nature's most elegant biological processes."

###

Dr. Schrder performed this research at Gladstone while completing his PhD at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Eva Herker, PhD, Sean Thomas, Phd, Katrin Kaehlcke, Sungyoo Cho, Katherine Pollard, PhD, John Capra, PhD and Benoit Bruneau, PhD, also participated in this research at Gladstone, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds, the Human Frontiers Science Program and an E.G.G. fellowship.

About the Gladstone Institutes

Gladstone is an independent and nonprofit biomedical-research organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discovery and innovation to prevent, treat and cure cardiovascular, viral and neurological diseases. Gladstone is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/gi-uci110713.php
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Microsoft Office Web Apps takes great leap toward Office equality

What are the most striking features of the new version of Office Web Apps? The ones that aren't there.

It isn't the fact that the Save button has been nixed (shades of Google Docs!) or that multiple users can edit the same document in real time and not stomp all over each other's work. It's how little -- as opposed to how much -- variation there is between OWA and its desktop counterparts.

That small margin makes a big difference.

Better collaborative editing than the desktop
Tony Bradley at PCWorld covers in detail all the new goodies in OWA, which still consists only of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The biggest is simultaneous co-authoring: Many users can log into OWA, open the same document, and work on it simultaneously. Flags within the document tell you where each user is.

One particularly smart touch here is how Microsoft has set different levels of editing granularity for each document type. For Word, it's a paragraph; for Excel, it's a cell; for PowerPoint, it's a slide. They're good commonsense defaults, and in my conversation with Microsoft's people, they hinted at the possibility that it could be made even more fine-grained.

From a practical standpoint, it's unlikely two people will attempt to edit the same sentence at once. But if Microsoft can nudge the line of thinking a smidge further in that direction, it's a sign of how completely Web apps could be able to eclipse their desktop cousins. For one, the desktop versions of these apps don't have anything like the simultaneous-editing features found in OWA -- a case where the Web app actually sports a feature superior to the desktop app.

This brings up the first of two big questions about OWA. Do Web apps need to displace their desktop counterparts?

The answer may be different depending on whether you're asking Microsoft or end-users. End-users may enjoy the convenience of OWA, but there comes a point where OWA simply can't deliver. The longer and more complex the document, the greater the odds OWA -- or your browser -- will simply gag.

There's little question that Microsoft needs to create a product portfolio off the desktop that's as valuable and rich as the one the company has created on it. But I doubt it can move people off desktop editions of Office and into OWA anytime soon, and not just because OWA's feature set is lacking.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/t/office-software/microsoft-office-web-apps-takes-great-leap-toward-office-equality-230424?source=rss_applications
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Chrome users on Windows will soon have to get extensions through Google's store

Google already hopes to prevent security threats in Chrome by blocking downloads, and it's now planning a similarly cautious approach for extensions. The company has announced that all extensions for the browser's Windows beta and stable versions must be hosted in the Chrome Web Store as of January. ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/h3m8HLowb20/
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Splintered Republicans Must Take Their Medicine

There is a path to sanity for the national Republican Party to be gleaned from the mixed election results on Tuesday night — not just sanity, actually, but victory.

The problem is that professional Republicans of all stripes will have to swallow some medicine — and as we know, everybody always thinks the other guy should take the medicine while he should get the candy.

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2013/11/07/splintered_republicans_must_take_their_medicine_319475.html
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Levi Johnston Takes Bristol Palin to Court for Joint Custody of Tripp

Their relationship may be long gone, but Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are still at odds over their son, Tripp.

Though the former vice presidential candidate's daughter has had full custody of the little boy, her former fiancée has filed a petition asking for equal custody of the child.

In the documents, the 23-year-old asks for as much time with his son as the 4-year-old's mother. However, Bristol responded claiming that he owes $66,000 in child support, hinting that the request is financially motivated.

Back in 2008, the pair experienced happy times, announcing both their engagement and her pregnancy during the presidential election. Young love didn't last, though, and the two broke off their engagement in December 2008, reunited, then called it quits in August 2010. Since then, Levi married Sunny Oglesby.

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/bristol-palin/levi-johnston-takes-bristol-palin-court-joint-custody-tripp-957450
Category: russell brand   indicted  

Johnston files petition for custody of son Tripp

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The father of Bristol Palin's son is seeking at least equal custody.

Levi Johnston filed a petition for custody last month saying he wants 4-year-old Tripp to be in his mother's and father's lives equally.

The couple had agreed in 2010 that Palin would have primary physical custody and the two would share legal custody, according to Thomas Van Flein, Palin's attorney at that time. Johnston was given visitation and had agreed to pay child support.

Palin's current attorney, John Tiemessen, said that as of Oct. 15, the Child Support Services Division reported that Johnston owed about $66,000 in back support.

Palin and Johnston were thrust into the national spotlight as expectant, unwed teenagers in 2008, when Palin's mother, Sarah Palin, was tapped as the Republican vice presidential candidate.

Johnston and Bristol Palin had an on-off relationship before splitting for good. He has since married and has a daughter.

Bristol Palin has appeared in several reality series, including one for Lifetime that documented her life as a single mom.

• Family & Relationships
• Celebrities
• Bristol Palin
• Levi Johnston
• Sarah Palin

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/johnston-files-petition-custody-son-tripp-224204344.html
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5 ways BYOD is shaking up tech support

November 07, 2013

Amid the clamor of "bring your own device" (BYOD), a question lurks in the background: "What happens to technical service and support?" Concerns for the tech support function encompass the extremes, from agents being overwhelmed with calls, to their becoming inhabitants of a help desk ghost town.

On the one hand, it’s easy to imagine a flood of calls as employees attempt to access wireless networks or synch their e-mail, especially in companies that permit the use of any device type. At the same time, as more people own smartphones, they are increasingly accustomed to resolving issues independently, through online forums, communities and other means of self-support.

By 2016, says Gartner analyst Jarod Greene, help desks will see a 25% to 30% drop in user-initiated call volume, as BYOD drives a companion trend of BYOS, or “bring your own support.”

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Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/consumerization-of-it/5-ways-byod-shaking-tech-support-230379?source=rss_infoworld_top_stories_
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Teen's rape galvanizes support in Kenya

TINGOLO, Kenya (AP) — A wave of outrage has grown in Kenya since word has spread that a 16-year-old girl was gang raped and thrown into a pit latrine in this western Kenyan town, with the alleged attackers told to cut grass at a police post, and then let go.

Nearly 1.4 million people have signed an online petition put up by the activist group Avaaz calling for prosecution of the young men and an investigation of the police who freed the suspects.

Kenya's political heavyweights are also speaking up. Supreme Court Chief Justice Willy Mutunga last weekend said he had forwarded the matter to the National Council for Administration of Justice for "immediate action." Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said that "as a woman and a mother I am outraged and angered by this inhumane, traumatizing and inexcusable violation."

The teen is currently confined to a wheelchair because of the physical trauma from the attack. She has undergone two surgeries — one for a fistula and another for spinal surgery, said Lydia Muthiani, the deputy executive director of the Coalition on Violence Against Women, a group that has taken up the case.

"She is doing very well. They are hopeful she will walk again," said Muthiani, who noted that the victim is still dealing with the psychological trauma of the rape and from time to time will shut down emotionally.

The attack happened in June but didn't get wider attention until Nairobi's Daily Nation newspaper wrote about it in early October.

Her mother spoke through tears at her home in Busia County. She told The Associated Press that the police at first said only that her daughter should be taken to a pharmacy and be prescribed pain killers.

Even if her physical and psychological trauma continues to heal, her life will forever be upended. Cultural traditions in this area mandate that a rape victim leave her home and move to another town where, in theory, people will not know that she has been raped.

Muthiani labeled rape an "invisible crime" in Kenya because it is underreported and rarely acted on judicially.

"We wouldn't know how big a problem rape is in essence just because we do not have all the numbers of reported cases, but from the number of cases that we do receive, it is a very, very high number," said Muthiani, who said studies have shown that one in six Kenyan women will experience some sort of sexual assault in their lifetime.

Muthiani said that one aid group that studied sexual violence during Kenya's 2007-08 election violence found that at least 3,000 women were raped during the months of violence. Muthiani said there have been only 11 convictions related to those 3,000 cases.

"When you have a statistic that low, what are you inspiring the public to do? The institutions that are supposed to protect and serve us, for instance police and prosecutors, have to start doing a better job. We have to put it out there that there is going to be punishment for people who sexually violate other people," she said.

Kenya's inspector general of police, David Kimaiyo, has tweeted in support of the victim from his personal Twitter account. Kimaiyo said the investigation into the attack is complete and that the file has been forwarded to prosecutors to be acted on.

Alfred Ouma, the chairman of a local council of elders in Busia County, said he wants "severe action" taken against the officers who initially received the rape complaint and "mishandled it."

The victim's grandmother told AP from her small grass hut home that the attackers must be found.

"I want those policemen that released the boys that they had in custody to arrest the parents of the boys who raped my granddaughter so that they can say where the boys are hiding," the grandmother said.

___

Associated Press reporter Andrew Njuguna contributed to this report. Straziuso reported from Nairobi, Kenya.

• Society & Culture
• Crime & Justice
• Kenya

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/teens-rape-galvanizes-support-kenya-141055009.html
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The Economist honors cancer immunotherapy pioneer James Allison

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Nov-2013

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Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

2013 Innovation Award for bioscience goes to MD Anderson scientist

HOUSTON For basic science research that opened a completely new approach for treating cancer, The Economist has named James Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as its 2013 Innovations Award winner in Bioscience.

Allison identified an immune checkpoint molecule that turns off T cells white blood cells that are the attack dogs of the immune system before they can mount a successful response to tumors that they are primed to destroy.

An antibody that blocks that immune checkpoint molecule, unleashing a T cell attack, became the first drug to ever extend survival for patients with late-stage melanoma. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ipilumumab (Yervoy) for treatment of metastatic melanoma in 2011.

"The approval of ipilimumab in 2011 represents the culmination of years of research by Dr Allison into tumor immunotherapy," said Tom Standage, Digital Editor at The Economist and chairman of the panel of 30 judges. "We are delighted to recognize his pioneering achievement in the fight against cancer."

The Economist is a 170-year-old weekly news publication based in London with a circulation of 4.5 million worldwide. Its Innovation Awards recognize significant contributions in eight fields: Bioscience, Computing and Telecommunications, Consumer Products, Energy and Environment, Process and Services, Social and Economic, No Boundaries and Corporate.

"I'm honored to receive this award, which recognizes the increasing importance of immune therapy in the treatment of cancer due to the efforts of many scientists, clinicians and patients willing to participate in clinical trials," Allison said.

The adaptive immune system routinely identifies, destroys and remembers infections and abnormal cells. Yet cancer cells evade or suppress immune attack, largely frustrating efforts to develop vaccines and other immune therapies against tumors.

Drug treats immune system, not specific tumor

"Immune checkpoint blockade treats the immune system, not the tumor, so we expect this approach to work across many types of cancer," Allison said. In addition to melanoma, ipilumumab has been effective in clinical trials against prostate, kidney, lung and ovarian cancers.

Allison's basic science research on T cell biology uncovered the receptor on these cells used to recognize and bind to antigens abnormalities that mark defective cells or viruses and bacteria for attack.

He also found that T cells require a second molecular signal to launch a response after they've bound to an antigen. And he identified a molecule called CTLA-4 that acts as an off switch to inhibit activated T cells from attacking.

This led to development of ipilumumab to block CTLA-4. In clinical trials against stage 4 melanoma, the drug extinguished the disease in 20 percent of patients for up to 12 years and counting.

Since arriving at MD Anderson in November 2012, Allison founded and directs an immunotherapy platform to cultivate, support and test new development of immunology-based drugs and combinations. MD Anderson's Moon Shots program, designed to accelerate the conversion of scientific discoveries into clinical advances that reduce cancer deaths, taps the expertise of the immunotherapy platform.

Allison earned his doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin in 1978, joining MD Anderson's faculty after his postdoctoral fellowship. He left MD Anderson for the University of California, Berkeley and later moved to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and has won many honors for biomedical research, including the first AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in April 2013.

Allison will receive his award at a ceremony in London on Dec. 3.

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Nov-2013

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Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

2013 Innovation Award for bioscience goes to MD Anderson scientist

HOUSTON For basic science research that opened a completely new approach for treating cancer, The Economist has named James Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as its 2013 Innovations Award winner in Bioscience.

Allison identified an immune checkpoint molecule that turns off T cells white blood cells that are the attack dogs of the immune system before they can mount a successful response to tumors that they are primed to destroy.

An antibody that blocks that immune checkpoint molecule, unleashing a T cell attack, became the first drug to ever extend survival for patients with late-stage melanoma. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ipilumumab (Yervoy) for treatment of metastatic melanoma in 2011.

"The approval of ipilimumab in 2011 represents the culmination of years of research by Dr Allison into tumor immunotherapy," said Tom Standage, Digital Editor at The Economist and chairman of the panel of 30 judges. "We are delighted to recognize his pioneering achievement in the fight against cancer."

The Economist is a 170-year-old weekly news publication based in London with a circulation of 4.5 million worldwide. Its Innovation Awards recognize significant contributions in eight fields: Bioscience, Computing and Telecommunications, Consumer Products, Energy and Environment, Process and Services, Social and Economic, No Boundaries and Corporate.

"I'm honored to receive this award, which recognizes the increasing importance of immune therapy in the treatment of cancer due to the efforts of many scientists, clinicians and patients willing to participate in clinical trials," Allison said.

The adaptive immune system routinely identifies, destroys and remembers infections and abnormal cells. Yet cancer cells evade or suppress immune attack, largely frustrating efforts to develop vaccines and other immune therapies against tumors.

Drug treats immune system, not specific tumor

"Immune checkpoint blockade treats the immune system, not the tumor, so we expect this approach to work across many types of cancer," Allison said. In addition to melanoma, ipilumumab has been effective in clinical trials against prostate, kidney, lung and ovarian cancers.

Allison's basic science research on T cell biology uncovered the receptor on these cells used to recognize and bind to antigens abnormalities that mark defective cells or viruses and bacteria for attack.

He also found that T cells require a second molecular signal to launch a response after they've bound to an antigen. And he identified a molecule called CTLA-4 that acts as an off switch to inhibit activated T cells from attacking.

This led to development of ipilumumab to block CTLA-4. In clinical trials against stage 4 melanoma, the drug extinguished the disease in 20 percent of patients for up to 12 years and counting.

Since arriving at MD Anderson in November 2012, Allison founded and directs an immunotherapy platform to cultivate, support and test new development of immunology-based drugs and combinations. MD Anderson's Moon Shots program, designed to accelerate the conversion of scientific discoveries into clinical advances that reduce cancer deaths, taps the expertise of the immunotherapy platform.

Allison earned his doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin in 1978, joining MD Anderson's faculty after his postdoctoral fellowship. He left MD Anderson for the University of California, Berkeley and later moved to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and has won many honors for biomedical research, including the first AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in April 2013.

Allison will receive his award at a ceremony in London on Dec. 3.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/uotm-teh110713.php
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