Scientists may have taken a big stride towards finding a cure for a type of blood cancer that has until now remained largely incurable.
Multiple myeloma has long proven to difficult to treat, although therapy can give patients years of extra life.
New approaches that help the immune system disease destroy the cancer cells may represent a step change compared to standard treatments, which have improved in recent decades.
A key new method involves adding a component called a receptor to T-cells – a type of white blood cell in the immune system – allowing them to better recognise and destroy the cancer.
Known as Car-T therapy – or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy - it has achieved remission rates in continuing Israeli trials of about 90 per cent in patients for whom other treatments are no longer effective.
Follow-ups with the patients in Israel have taken place over six months, so longer-term outcomes cannot yet be assessed but scientists say results so far appear promising.
Educating T-cells
A form of immunotherapy, Car-T therapy has been used to treat other cancers and approval has in recent years been limited to treatment for multiple myeloma.
Prof Cyrille Cohen, head of the Laboratory of Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, said the approach involved "educating" the T-cells to recognise and kill cancer cells.
The therapy is based on targeting BCMA, a protein overproduced in multiple myeloma cells.
Nothing so far in the recent history of multiple myeloma has achieved such results
Prof Anastasios Karadimitris,
Imperial College London
Prof Cohen's laboratory designed and tested numerous prototype receptors to determine which were most effective at helping the immune cells to use BCMA to identify and destroy the multiple myeloma cells.
"It’s like playing with Lego. You need to find the right combination, the right distance between the two molecules, the right combination of molecules inside the T-cell that will activate the T-cell," said Prof Cohen, president of the Israel Society for Cancer Research.
His group narrowed the choice down to four receptors and used tests to find the most effective.
Clinical trials, led by Prof Polina Stepansky, have been taking place at Hadassah University Medical Centre in Jerusalem in conjunction with a US biotechnology firm Nexcella.
"So far they treated more than 70 patients, which is commendable if you take into account this was developed just by a university and hospital, not by a multibillion [dollar] company," Prof Cohen said.
The treatment works by taking blood samples from multiple myeloma patients and separating out and multiplying the T-cells, which are altered by having genetic material added to them so that they produce the receptor for the target protein. The cells are then reinstated to the patient.
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New study finds strong link between ultra-processed foods and cancer
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Multiple myeloma accounts for about 10 per cent of all blood cancers and about 1 per cent of all forms of cancer. It is more common in older people, especially those over 70.
The condition forms in the bone marrow and takes its name from the fact that typically it affects bones in more than one part of the body, including the pelvis, spine and skull.
Symptoms include brittle bones, persistent pain, tiredness and weight loss.
Other than in very rare cases it cannot be cured, although treatments, which may involve chemotherapy, steroids and stem cell transplants, can control symptoms and extend a patient's lifespan.
Researchers across the globe are looking to develop or improve Car-T therapies for multiple myeloma, including Prof Anastasios Karadimitris, director of the Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research at Imperial College London.
"They have certainly increased the time during which the patient will have no active disease or no clinically active disease and now there is emerging evidence that they will improve survival of the patients," he said.
"They have been really a very significant increment in our ability to treat this otherwise incurable blood cancer."
In one recently reported clinical trial, patients who had relapsed after having other therapy had three times as long without active disease when given Car-T therapy compared to standard multiple myeloma treatments.
"That’s really very, very impressive. Nothing so far in the recent history of multiple myeloma has achieved such results," Prof Karadimitris said.
High cost
A stumbling block to the wider use of Car-T therapy is price: treatment developed by commercial pharmaceutical companies can cost as much as $400,000 per patient.
However, when academic groups such as those in London or Israel, create the treatments, costs are likely to be much lower, possibly as little as one fifth of what they would be if they had been developed in the private sector.
It is "too early to say", Prof Karadimitris said, whether any of the Car-T therapies will create a complete cure, but he added they could lead to improved longer-term outcomes.
"Maybe we will see the best survival rates that we’ve seen historically. Whether it will be curative it’s difficult to say," he said.
Another emerging form of immunotherapy to tackle multiple myeloma involves specific antibodies, whereby one arm of the antibody engages with a T-cell while the other attaches to a cancer cell.
"There’s one such product licensed," Prof Karadimitris said. "It’s hard to tell if it’s as good as Car-T cells because there haven’t been comparisons but certainly the results look very, very good."
As other new treatments have been introduced in recent decades, prospects for multiple myeloma patients have already improved, with Prof Karadimitris describing survival rates as having doubled over the past decade to 15 years.
Treatments either now being trialled or soon to be introduced may be just the beginning, with more potent options likely to become available.
"There is a lot of belief that these very interesting and unprecedented results that we’ve seen already, although they don’t show a curative trend yet … we can improve further," Prof Karadimitris said.
He said the hope is that combining treatments could achieve what doctors call an operational cure, the disappearance of all signs of cancer for a prolonged period, which would represent a major step forward in the treatment of multiple myeloma.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EShaffra%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDIFC%20Innovation%20Hub%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Emetaverse-as-a-Service%20(MaaS)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ecurrently%20closing%20%241.5%20million%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20different%20PCs%20and%20angel%20investors%20from%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E299hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E420Nm%20at%202%2C750rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12.4L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh157%2C395%20(XLS)%3B%20Dh199%2C395%20(Limited)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Sour%20Grapes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZakaria%20Tamer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESyracuse%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')
Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
