A person, usually a child, dies of rabies every 20 minutes. However, only one inoculation may be all it takes for rabies vaccination, according to new research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases by researchers at the Jefferson Vaccine Center.

A replication-deficient rabies virus vaccine that lacks a key gene called the matrix (M) gene induced a rapid and efficient anti-rabies immune response in mice and non-human primates, according to James McGettigan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Jefferson Medical College.

"The M gene is one of the central genes of the rabies virus, and its absence inhibits the virus from completing its life cycle," Dr. McGettigan said. "The virus in the vaccine infects cells and induces an immune response, but the virus is deficient in spreading."

The immune response induced with this process is so substantial that only one inoculation may be sufficient enough, according to Dr. McGettigan. In addition, the vaccine appears to be efficient in both preexposure and postexposure settings.

The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. has granted accreditation to Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center. Just 54 percent of NCI-designated cancer centers have earned this achievement.

The Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson has earned accreditation from the international organization dedicated to protecting participants of research programs. Jefferson received accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP), making it among the just 54 percent of NCI-designated cancer centers worldwide who have earned the distinction.

Termed the "gold seal," accreditation from the Association “offers assurances -- to research participants, researchers, sponsors, government regulators and the general public -- that an HRPP is focused first and foremost on excellence.”

“Like the Kimmel Cancer Center, AAHRPP is grounded in the belief that ethics and scientific merit in research are inextricably intertwined," said AAHRPP President and CEO Marjorie Speers, PhD. "To date, 188 organizations representing more than 900 entities have earned accreditation.”

Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have been awarded a Susan G. Komen for the Cure Promise Grant of almost $6.7 million for five years for continued breast cancer research.

The project represents a multidisciplinary team of scientists from a consortium that also includes Walter Reed Army Medical Center and DecisionQ Inc. in Washington D.C., as well as the Windber Research Institute and MDR Global Inc. in Windber, Pa.

The principal investigator, Hallgeir Rui, MD, PhD, is a professor of Cancer Biology and Medical Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. The co-principal investigator and leader of the clinical investigations associated with the project is Edith Mitchell, MD, medical oncologist and clinical professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University and Associate Director of Diversity Programs for the Kimmel Cancer Center. The team will use the funds to investigate methods to optimize selection of patients for breast cancer treatment.

Read the full news release. You may also wish to visit the Jefferson Breast Care website.

Esophageal cancer – a consequence of Barrett’s esophagus – is among the fastest-growing cancers in the United States. Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which the cells on the lining of the esophagus (the tube that carries foods and liquids from the mouth to the stomach) change and, in time, may become cancerous. It results from prolonged gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – which is common among U.S. adults.

Before the introduction of photodynamic therapy (PDT), high-risk surgery was the only option to fix Barrett’s esophagus. PDT uses a light-sensitive chemical injected into the body and activated by a laser light to target the cells.

Experts at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital now use novel techniques – such as freezing or radiofrequency ablation (referred to as the HALO procedure) to potentially fix Barrett’s esophagus with fewer side effects.

BARRX HALO technology enables physicians to use a viewing scope, guide wire and balloon to map and measure the damaged area. A second balloon wrapped with hair-like wires is then slipped down the esophagus and inflated. Bursts of radiofrequency energy are sent along the wire to destroy the potentially precancerous cells.

An enzyme that is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer cells may hold the key to successfully treating the disease with targeted immunotherapy, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University reported at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Southern Surgical Association.

Previous data show that a protein, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, according to Jonathan R. Brody, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and co-director of the Jefferson Center for Pancreas, Biliary and Related Cancers. The center is led by Charles J. Yeo, M.D., Samuel D. Gross Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, who was also involved with the study.

According to Dr. Brody, IDO is an enzyme that represses the immune system – protecting the cancer cells and helping them evade immune detection. The Jefferson researchers and their collaborators from the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) in Wynnewood, Pa., previously reported that the IDO inhibitor D-1-methyl-tryptophan (1-MT), preferentially targets a related protein, IDO2.

Recent Kimmel Center at Jefferson studies shed light on how prostate cancer spreads – and how physicians can reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies

If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, turn to the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson’s Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Center. Founded in 1996, the Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Center gives you access to not only Jefferson urologists but also experts in radiation oncology, medical oncology and integrative medicine. The center’s progressive approach enables patients to benefit from these multiple areas of expertise in a single visit.

Just as important, patients of the Center benefit from the ongoing research initiatives at Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. Two recent examples: studies into how prostate cancer spreads and how physicians can use a special ultrasound technique to reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies.

Study #1: Blocking the spread of prostate cancer

Your Health Delivered Your Way

Keep in Touch With Jefferson is a way to allow you to receive health content and important Jefferson updates the way you want to receive them - whether it is via email or RSS Feed, on your computer or on your mobile device. This is not a blog. On this site you can: