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Astronaut Edgar Mitchell Claims Alien Cover-up

Dr. Edgar Mitchell is a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission and he was the sixth man to walk on the Moon. Dr. Mitchell also insists that aliens have visited Earth and that governments are actively covering it up. "I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real," Dr Mitchell said. "It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it. "I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes - we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit." Dr Mitchell, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics claimed Roswell was real and similar alien visits continue to be investigated. He told the astonished Kerrang! radio host Nick Margerrison: "This is really starting to open up. I think we're headed for real disclosure and some serious organisations are moving in that direction." NASA issued a quick denial. In a statement, a spokesman said: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe. "Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue." If Dr. Mitchell is correct about a cover-up than this is exactly the type of denial one would expect NASA to make. You can listen to the interview with Dr. Mitchell where he discusses the UFO phenomena here. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Genetic Approach Provides New Insight Into Trastuzumab Resistance In Breast Cancer

17.10.2007 08:41 Science - Source: ScienceDaily Headlines

Science Daily — A new study provides important insight into the mechanisms involved in resistance to treatment of breast cancer patients with trastuzumab (Herceptin). The research, published by Cell Press in the October issue of the journal Cancer Cell, identifies markers that may help to identify patients who are unlikely to respond to trastuzumab treatment and provides a potential strategy for treating these patients.

Trastuzumab is an antibody used as a therapy for patients whose breast cancers produce excess amounts of the protein HER2. However, almost half of these breast cancer patients are nonresponsive to trastuzumab therapy or become resistant during treatment. To better understand the antitumor activity of trastuzumab, Dr. Rene Bernards from The Netherlands Cancer Institute and his colleagues used a large-scale genome-wide RNA interference screen to search for genes involved in trastuzumab resistance in breast cancer.

The researchers identified only the tumor suppressor PTEN as a modulator of trastuzumab sensitivity in a breast cancer cell line. Earlier findings had associated PTEN with resistance to trastuzumab-based therapy, and loss of PTEN is known to result in hyperactivation of the PI3K pathway. Abnormal activation of this cell survival signaling pathway has been identified in many primary breast cancers. Hyperactivation of the PI3K pathway also can be caused by activating mutations of the PIK3CA gene.

"This finding, along with the high frequency of PIK3CA activating mutations in breast cancer, led us to investigate whether PI3K pathway activity, as assessed by cancer-associated activating mutations (of PIK3CA) or altered levels of PTEN, was able to predict trastuzumab resistance in the clinic," explains Dr. Bernards. This combined analysis identified twice as many patients at increased risk for disease progression as would analyzing PTEN alone and proved to be statistically significant as a biomarker for prognosis after trastuzumab therapy, indicating that assessment of PTEN expression together with PIK3CA mutation is required for optimal prediction of disease progression after trastuzumab therapy for breast cancer.

"Importantly, this study also illustrates the power of in vitro RNAi screens combined with confirmation on patient samples to identify biomarkers useful for predicting treatment response in the clinic," says Dr. Bernards. "It is too early to use these biomarkers; further validation studies are required before they can be used in the clinic. Nevertheless, it is likely that these findings will lead to a better understanding of resistance mechanisms and how to circumvent them as well as more reliable identification of the most effective treatment for individual patients."

The researchers include Katrien Berns and Hugo M. Horlings of The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam; Bryan T. Hennessy of The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; Mandy Madiredjo, E. Marielle Hijmans, Karin Beelen and Sabine C. Linn of The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam; Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo and Katherine Stemke-Hale of The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; Michael Hauptmann and Roderick L. Beijersbergen of The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam; Gordon B. Mills of The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; and Marc J. van de Vijver, and Ren? Bernards The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.

This work was supported by a grant from the NIH and the EU grant INTACT.

Berns et al.: "A Functional Genetic Approach Identifies the PI3K Pathway as a Major Determinant of Trastuzumab Resistance in Breast Cancer." Publishing in Cancer Cell 12, 395--402, October 2007. DOI 10.1016/j.ccr.2007.08.030

Note: This story has been adapted from material provided by Cell Press.