Life Sciences – a year to remember – Lexology

The Life Sciences sector has not been as newsworthy, pressured and flush with investors in living memory. The arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 has suddenly and emphatically focused attention on Life Sciences. The perception of the sector, and the reality of how it operates, has shifted. But in truth, Pharma was already changing.

Trends unrelated to the pandemic began with the shift away from searching for big-earning blockbuster drugs treating broad indications. Cost-effective opportunities in this type of market are dwindling, in the face of ever-increasing R&D and approval costs. Meanwhile, the shift to precision medicine has accelerated. Digital technology and biotechnology continue to make deeper inroads and stronger interconnections in how treatments are researched, developed and consumed. And those are just some of the developments.

Back in the distant, pre-COVID world of 2019, the Pharma industry was being dogged by the competing pricing concerns of payers and producers, with increasing pressure against companies seen to be benefiting from a monopoly on human health. Calls for tighter regulation on prices were particularly prevalent in the US, becoming a major theme of political debates.

A change in perception

Then along came COVID. Much as a global conflict usually sees major advances in weaponry, this global pandemic has seen a rapid boost in life science technology, collaboration and funding, as pharma companies, research organisations, SMEs and universities collectively search for a vaccine. The perception of Big Pharma has shifted correspondingly, from profiteers to potential saviours. It is probably true to say that never has so much been known about the sector by so many, in such a short space of time.

The growth of interest in Life Sciences has included investors; funding in 2020 has been incredibly strong. Biotech companies comprised 80% of all US IPOs in the first quarter and the US Nasdaq Biotechnology Index neared a five-year high in late April.

The US is the leader for investment by a big margin, but China has also seen some large investment rounds. Investors apparently see the sector as economy-proof and this is underpinned by a stronger public perception.

Tech advances

What of the technology? It has changed the R&D landscape, significantly reducing costs. Closer ties between tech and biotech are driving speedier, more targeted drug development, replacing the previous time-consuming trial and error required to prove theories. Interaction simulations can be run at the click of a button and clinical trials can progress more rapidly and cost-effectively through technology-aided efficiencies.

As R&D expense reduces and the remaining available blockbuster indications diminish, addressing smaller markets and niche illnesses has become more commercially viable alongside the long-standing medical needs. AI is invaluable in finding links in the rapidly accumulating global data resources. It is also creating more platform plays and modular business plans designed for biotech companies to bolt onto. And it is assisting clinicians by enabling faster, accurate reviews, such as analysing scans for breast cancer.

Enabling better prevention

Technology is also improving the quality of preventative medicine. Apps are helping doctors carry out remote diagnosis and secure more real-time, comprehensive feedback. Taking advantage of the Internet of Things, devices such as smart toilets can collect and analyse samples, and provide early warning of kidney or gastro-intestinal diseases. Spotting problems before they develop has physical, emotional and financial benefits for individuals, and the use of virtual coaches can support this by guiding patients through a healthier, preventative lifestyle.

More effective therapies

At the leading edge of life sciences, tech is helping new therapies to be better understood and utilised. Cell therapy is identifying and developing stem cells suitable for specialised uses, such as dopamine producers that could combat Parkinsons disease. Better gene editing tools are delivering improvements in gene therapy, while next-generation genome sequencing is allowing the development of precision medicines to previously unattainable levels.

The race for a vaccine

Crucially, and taking us back to where we started, vaccines can be constructed differently a point more pertinent than ever as science attempts to race towards an effective COVID-19 cure.

And its side effects

Is there a downside to all this? Yes. COVID has understandably monopolised attention and pushed back most other drug trials. Around half of non-COVID trials have been delayed this year, with critical developments put on hold and many biotech firms effectively in hibernation.

Whilst the true impact of these delays remains uncertain, there have nevertheless been a number of positives for the life sciences sector in 2020.

Positives for life sciences

Public and investor perception of pharma and life sciences has improved, with a resultant increase in funding and greater interest in careers in the sector. More specialised, precision medicine is giving fresh hope to those facing currently untreatable illnesses. Advances in tech-enabled diagnosis, drug development, dosing and monitoring have accelerated progress, with the spotlight on vaccines, genetic testing and monitoring leading to greater prominence on prevention.

Many of us are getting accustomed to the new normal acknowledging that post-COVID life will never be quite the same as it was before. The pandemic has resulted in a new normal emerging for life sciences too: greater collaboration, potentially faster trials and approval, and more integration of technology leading to more targeted and effective prevention and treatment.

Memories are often short, so how long life science advances will stay in the limelight is open to conjecture. But at this point in our state of the nation review, the life sciences sector is looking encouragingly healthy.

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Life Sciences - a year to remember - Lexology

Proposition 14: With Handful of Cures, Calif. Stem Cell Agency Has Mixed Record. Will Voters Pony Up Another $5.5 Billion? – KQED

A Yes vote authorizes the state to sell $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds primarily for stem cell research and the development of new medical treatments in California. A No vote would mean the state's stem cell research agency will probably shut down by 2023.

In the ramp-up to the 2004 election, a California TV viewer may have come across the popular actor Michael J. Fox urging her to vote Yes on a state proposition. His voice slurred faintly by Parkinsons disease, he still sounded wry, boyish and familiar.

My most important role lately is as an advocate for patients and for finding new cures for diseases, said Fox, eyes level with the camera. Californias Stem Cell Research Initiative 71 will support research to find cures for diseases that affect millions of people, including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Within that 30-second spot, Fox, diagnosed at age 29 with a neurodegenerative disorder that typically does not strike until after 60, used the word "cures" three times.

Proposition 71, which passed with 59% of the vote, authorized the sale of $3 billion in bonds to create an agency that funded stem cell research. The successful campaign grew out of a time, in the early 2000s, when the promise of stem cell and regenerative medicine excited both scientists and the public.

Whether the project has lived up to that promise is a matter of opinion. How voters view the record of the agency may go a long way in their decision whether or not to replenish the fund, which is fast running out of money, with an additional $5.5 billion, to be raised with new bonds authorized by Proposition 14, now on the ballot.

President Bush A Demon to Attack

Scientists since the1800s have known about stem cells, which are not yet dedicated to any particular anatomical function and have the potential to become nerve cells, blood cells, skin cells or any other type. They are found in blastocysts, which are human embryos four to five days after fertilization, and in a few areas, such as bone marrow and gonads, in adults.

In the late 1990s, researchers developed ways to steer the development of these cells, and the possibilities for improving medicine seemed endless. If malfunctioning cells were at the root of a particular disease, could new healthy cells tailored to the job fix what was wrong? Scientists and many members of the public were eager to find out.

Anti-abortion groups, however, a key constituency of President George W. Bush, opposed the research, and in 2001 he limited federal funding to a few existing lines of embryonic stem cells, severely curtailing research.

Some in the state of California wanted to get around Bushs restrictions, and Proposition 71 was born.

"(T)hey had this demon they could attack in the campaign the Bush administration," said David Jensen, author of "California's Great Stem Cell Experiment," who also writes the blog California Stem Cell Report. "They could say, 'This is a great opportunity, and the only way we're going to get it done is to do it here in California.'"

The measure created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The stem cell research agency is unique in the U.S.

"No other state has done this kind of level of funding and focus on this kind of thing, said Jensen. It's a really cutting-edge area of science."

A Few Successes

The pace of innovation has been slower than many hoped. As it turned out, grand discoveries were not around the corner, and to date there is no widespread stem cell treatment approved for the public. To date, CIRM has funded more than 64 trials directly and aided in 31 more. Not all have or will result in treatments.

But despite the lack of a marquee cure like one for Alzheimers or Parkinsons, the agency has seen some notable triumphs.

"Probably one of the most spectacular successes they have certainly so far," said Jensen, "is clinical trials that have saved the lives of what they say are 40 children."

Those children were born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), commonly known as "bubble baby syndrome," a rare, generally fatal condition in which a child is born without a working immune system. An FDA-approved gene therapy that grew out of CIRM-funded research can now cure the disease by taking a patients own blood stem cells and modifying them to correct the SCID mutation. The altered cells generate new, healthy blood cells and repair the immune system.

The FDA has also approved two drugs for rare blood cancers that were developed with CIRM funds.

Sandra Dillon, a graphic designer in San Diego, credits one of the drugs with saving her life. She was diagnosed when she was just 28, in 2006. Her doctors told her they would try to manage her symptoms, but that she was going to get progressively sicker.

"Even just the idea of a cure or getting better wasn't even on the table back then," said Dillon, who is featured in ads for the Yes on 14 campaign.

"I remember just praying and begging into the universe, please, someone just look at my disease, please someone help, who is going to look at this thing.

By 2010, Dillon was extremely ill. She connected with a doctor at UC San Diego who received early-stage funding from CIRM and told her she could take part in clinical trials.

"For the first time, there was this moment of, 'Oh, my gosh! There are researchers doing something. And it could help me and I can get access to it.' It was amazing."

The drug received FDA approval in 2019, and today Dillons cancer has retreated to the point where she can live a normal life.

"I love that I am not tethered to a hospital anymore. I can go out on long backpacking trips and hiking and surfing," she said. "I am a completely different person with this drug. And I have a whole future ahead of me."

The original funding raised by Proposition 71 is running out. Proposition 14 would authorize the sale of a new bond to refill the agency piggy bank. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the UC Board of Regents, and scores of patient advocacy groups also support the measure.

Many newspaper editorial boards, however, oppose the proposition, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Mercury News and Los Angeles Times.

Right now the state still owes about $1 billion toward the debt created by Proposition 71. If Proposition 14 passes, the yearly price tag to pay off the new bond would be about $260 million per year for about 30 years.

One of the selling points of the original proposition was the potential for the state to earn big money in royalties from the treatments it helped develop, says Jeff Sheehy, an HIV patient advocate and the only CIRM board member to oppose Proposition 14.

"The promises were made that this would pay for itself. We would be able to pay back the bonds with the money we would get from royalties, etc., etc.

That has not worked out as envisioned: CIRM estimates it has received less than $500,000 in royalties. Early this year, Forty Seven, a company whose therapies were heavily funded by CIRM, sold to Gilead for $4.9 billion. While millions went to various researchers, neither CIRM nor the state of California received anything.

One of the flaws in the original measure is that we [the agency] cannot hold stock in the products that we develop," says Sheehy. "And that's because the California Constitution says that the state of California cannot, as a government entity, hold equity.

Proposition 14 makes it impossible for the state to use profits from its investment on, say, schools or other funding priorities. Instead, any royalties earned must be fed back into programs to make CIRM-funded treatments more affordable.

"What it does is it basically takes all of our returns that we get from this and gives it back to the pharmaceutical and biotech companies," said Sheehy. "It becomes just a blatant giveaway to these companies when we should be requiring access and requiring fair pricing."

Sheehy says he supports medical research, but doesn't like the state going into more debt to pay for it. The greater the state's obligations in bond money, which has to be paid back with interest, the less there is in the general fund, and Sheehy says the state has more pressing needs than stem cell research things like housing, education and transportation.

"The biggest and perhaps the most compelling reason why I feel so strongly that this is not a good idea is that we simply cannot afford it, he said. "If we think this is so important," asks Sheehy, "why don't we just don't pay for [this research] out of the general fund? It would be cheaper.

Opponents of Proposition 14 also point to longstanding complaints of conflicts of interest among the agency board. Most of the $3 billion distributed by the agency has gone to institutions with connections to board members. Critics say the structural conflicts of interest between the board and agency are not addressed in the new measure. Proposition 14 would balloon an already huge board of 29 members to 35.

Funding needs for stem cell research also are not as acute as they were back in 2004. The federal National Institutes of Health now funds some basic stem cell research, spending about $2 billion a year, with $321 million of that going toward human embryonic stem cell research. And private ventures, like nonprofits started by tech billionaires, are pouring more money into biotech.

The problem with assuming that, says Melissa King, executive director of Americans for Cures, the stem cell advocacy group behind the Yes on 14 campaign, is that CIRM fills a neglected funding need.

The NIH does not fund clinical trials at nearly the rate that CIRM can and has been, King said.

She says that's important because of what she calls the "Valley of Death," where promising early-stage research frequently fails to translate into promising treatments that can be tested in clinical-stage research. (What works well in a test tube often does not work well in an organism.) This weeding-out process is costly but necessary. And its where CIRM focused a lot of its effort.

The first- and maybe even second-phase clinical trials, its very difficult to get those funded, King said. It is too much of a risk for business to take on on its own. Venture [capital] isnt going there. Angel [funding] isnt going there.

What voters have to ask themselves, says writer Jensen, is whether stem cell funding is "a high priority for the state of California? Different people make different judgments about that."

CIRM supporters say if Prop. 14 doesn't pass, critical research will stall. Others say federal and private funding will step in and fill the gap.

Absent new funding, the institute expects it will wind down operations leading to a complete sundown in 2023.

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Proposition 14: With Handful of Cures, Calif. Stem Cell Agency Has Mixed Record. Will Voters Pony Up Another $5.5 Billion? - KQED

Woman who lost her partner to cancer last year set to run 10K in his memory – Warrington Guardian

A 29-YEAR-old who tragically lost her partner to cancer last year will be running 10K to raise vital funds for a blood cancer charity in his memory.

Hannah Kenyon, a teaching assistant from Culcheth, is taking part in the Tatton Park 10K this weekend, in tribute to her boyfriend, Jonny Williams, who died from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in February last year.

She will be raising money for Anthony Nolan, a charity which finds matching donors for people with blood cancer.

Speaking about her relationship with Jonny, Hannah said: "Jonny and I met at school, I always liked him but we didnt get together until we were in college.

"In March 2018, after having been together been for nine years, we bought our own home which we wanted to renovate and really make our own."

In July of that year, Jonny, who was an electrician, noticed lumps on his neck and started suffering from extreme abdominal pain.

After several trips to hospital, he was eventually diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Hannah recalled: "It was such a shock and Jonny had to start chemotherapy literally straight away.

"However, it wasnt working the way doctors had hoped and his cancer continued to progress.

"This was when a stem cell transplant was first mentioned - the goal was for chemotherapy to get Jonny into remission so he could then have a stem cell transplant, which would hopefully cure him."

With only one half brother and two half sisters, there was no chance of finding Jonny a match within his own family.

Anthony Nolan jumped into action and searched their register of potential stem cell donors for a special stranger who could save his life.

"We were told that Jonny had three potential donors," Hannah said.

"The day we found out, no words needed to be spoken to know how extremely lucky we felt, as I know there are people out there who desperately need a donor but dont have one."

After just a few months, Jonny and Hannah received the devastating news that Jonnys cancer had progressed, which meant that he was unable to have a transplant.

He died less than one week later.

Hannah explained: "It was and still is completely devastating, and at times it still feels like a blur.

"Jonny was such a positive person, Ive never known anyone so positive, and he tried to live as normal a life as possible during his illness.

"He wanted no fuss and always had hope and optimism for the future.

"Even though Jonny was unable to have a transplant, it is just unreal that three strangers were willing to help him.

"I know what its like to hear the news that someone out there is a match and is willing to save a life, which is why I just wont stop shouting about Anthony Nolan."

After Jonny's death, Hannah continued to renovate the house they had bought together.

She also started running and will now be putting on her trainers this weekend in aid of Anthony Nolan, alongside her friend, Sam.

"I know that Jonny would be buzzing about me doing this, he always was my number one fan," Hannah said.

"Sunday, I am sure, will be a really emotional day, but Ive got a playlist of Jonnys favourite songs that Im going to listen to whilst Im running that will keep me going."

You can sponsor Hannah at justgiving.com/fundraising/10kforjonny.

To find out more about Anthony Nolan, visit anthonynolan.org/events.

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Woman who lost her partner to cancer last year set to run 10K in his memory - Warrington Guardian

A perfect match: Bone marrow transplant saves twin brother’s life. Now their family pays it forward – 11Alive.com WXIA

When 5-year-old Sawyer was diagnosed with sickle cell at a young age, his fraternal twin, Saxton, turned out to be a perfect match.

ATLANTA This is not just a birthday party, its a celebration of second chances.

We are so blessed, said OShea Guillory. We want to share this.

It is also a commitment to help others, too.

Mikari Tarpley is 16. She is at the small birthday celebration and sang her heart out for 5-year-old Sawyer and his brother Saxton. She sings from a place of understanding.

She and Sawyer, her neighbor, have both been through a lot this year.

We found out about Sawyers sickle cell disease at a very early age, Guillory said. He was about three weeks old.

Sawyers mom said she was absolutely devastated. She refused to accept there was nothing she could do to help her son.

I did a ton of research," she said. I found an organization called Be The Match.

She discovered information about transplants that could be a potential cure. Doctors take stem cells from the bone marrow of a donor and transplant it into the recipient.

They just needed a donor.

It turns out Sawyer was born with his cure, Guillory said. His twin, Saxton, was a perfect sibling match.

Across the cul-de-sac, Mikari Tarpley, an actress, was fighting Hodgkins Lymphoma and finishing chemotherapy.

She knew Sawyer has been battling sickle cell. Theyd both lost their hair from treatment. She decided she wanted to use her Sweet 16th birthday to raise money for children like Sawyer.

We couldnt do much for my sixteenth because of COVID, so we thought it would be a great idea to do a fundraiser to help others, Mikari said.

She reached her goal of $16,000 to help children being treated for sickle cell disease at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

Five-year-old Sawyer received a bone marrow transplant from his fraternal twin, Saxton. It was a success. Before long, Sawyer was riding a tricycle around Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, racing his nurses and giggling along the way.

I truly have little warriors, Guillory said. My son, who helped save his brothers life - and my son - who was able to go through all of that and come out even stronger.

Now Sawyer, Saxton and their parents are spending their 5th birthday following Mikaris lead by paying it forward.

Sawyers mom OShea is starting a nonprofit, Sawyers Sickle Circle, to spread awareness and knowledge about sickle cell, Beads of Courage and Be the Match program. They launched a fundraiser on Sawyer and Saxtons birthday.

The Guillory family said the best present they could wish for is for other kids to have the chance to celebrate many more birthdays to come.

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A perfect match: Bone marrow transplant saves twin brother's life. Now their family pays it forward - 11Alive.com WXIA

Different Types of Childhood Cancer | INTEGRIS – Integris

If youre a parent, you know the thoughts, feelings and emotions that come with protecting your child. Youd do anything for them to ensure they live a long, healthy life. But what will you do when there are times when health conditions, such as childhood cancer, stand in the way?

Cancer in children is more common than you may think, as it accounts for the second-leading cause of death behind accidents. While a cancer diagnosis, or even the thought of your child developing cancer one day, is overwhelming, modern medicine has improved survival rates. As with any cancer, early detection is key. To help you familiarize yourself with childhood cancer, we asked Michael Confer, M.D., a radiation oncologist at the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, about the different types of cancers, which signs to look for and how they can be treated.

Unlike adult cancers, which can result from the environment or exposure to certain things, childhood cancers result from genetic mutations that occur early on in life or before birth.

It all comes down to changes in genes. Your DNA contains information to make different types of cells in your body. In other words, your skin cells contain information to be brain cells, while your kidney cells contain information to be heart muscle cells. As cells mature, they become specialized, turning on and off certain genes to allow them to perform specific duties. Cells need to be able to replicate to replace damaged cells of the same category. They grow with help from genes called proto-oncogenes.

When your DNA changes, it leads to genetic mutations, and cells can become permanently activated. This can lead to cells duplicating uncontrollably, known as cancer.

Tumor suppressor genes slow down cell division. They repair DNA mistakes before cells divide and control cells internal death process (apoptosis or programmed cell death), Dr. Confer says. DNA mutations within tumor suppressor genes can also allow cells to duplicate uncontrollably. Children can be born with mutated proto-oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in certain cells. These abnormally programmed cells lead to most childhood cancers.

So, what causes DNA changes? Your child can inherit genes from a parent that increases their risk of cancer or they can acquire these genes. Cancers from acquired, sporadic gene mutations are more common than those from inherited gene mutations 5% of all childhood cancers come from inherited mutations.

Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are the most common types of cancer caused by inherited DNA changes from BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations. Even with how well-known these are, only 5 to 10% of breast cancer cases come from BRCA1/BRCA2 inherited mutations. Plus, breast cancer and ovarian cancer are more common in adults than children. Talk to your doctor or visit a genetic counselor if you have specific questions about inherited mutations.

Cancer can impact any part of your body, ranging from your bones and blood cells to your brain, spinal cord and other internal organs. You may be most familiar with leukemia, lymphoma, and brain and spinal tumors, since they are the most common. But, here is a full overview of cancers that commonly affect children, according to the American Cancer Society.

Leukemia: This is the most common type of cancer in children, accounting for 28% of cases. It generally starts in white blood cells and becomes fast growing (acute). Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are the two most common types of leukemia. Three out of every four children with leukemia have ALL. This type of cancer starts in the lymphoid cells, called lymphocytes, whereas AML starts in myeloid cells. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are two types of rare cancers

Brain and spinal cord tumors: These types of cancers make up 26% of all cases. Brain tumors are more common than spinal cord tumors. The cancer generally starts in the lower part of the brain.

Neuroblastoma: This type of cancer affects infants and young children. Neuroblastoma starts in nerve cells during pregnancy and accounts for 6% of childhood cancers. Abdomen swelling is a common sign of neuroblastoma.

Wilms tumor: This type of cancer starts in the kidneys and impacts children who are 3 or 4 years old. It accounts for 5% of childhood cancers.

Lymphoma: Although lymphoma isnt as common as other types of cancers, youve likely heard of Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the two main types of cancer that show up in the lymphocytes. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (accounts for 5% of childhood cancers) appears in younger children and is more common than Hodgkin lymphoma (accounts for 3%), which is more common in younger adults. You may notice a swollen lymph node under your childs arm or near their throat.

Rhabdomyosarcoma: This type of cancer develops in areas that your child uses to move their body, such as the head, pelvis, arms or legs. It accounts for 3% of childhood cancer cases.

Retinoblastoma: This cancer develops in the eyes, and your child is most at risk around the age of 2 until the age of 6. It accounts for 2% of childhood cancers.

Bone cancer: Bone cancer is more prominent in teens, but it still accounts for 3% of childhood cancers. There are two types, osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, that show up via swelling around the bones. Ewing sarcoma is a less common type of cancer that is more prominent in older children and younger teens. Osteosarcoma, meanwhile, is more common in teens and in areas where bones grow quickly.

There isn't a one-size-fits-all guide to know if your child has cancer. In general, Dr. Confer says to keep an eye on any changes in your childs behavior, such as walking, eating, playing or sleeping. If theyre older, listen to any complaints they may have. Some cancers may produce a lump or swelling and pain in certain areas. Other symptoms include a loss of energy, weight loss, sudden eye or vision changes, frequent headaches with vomiting or a persistent fever that signifies the body is fighting an infection.

For example, leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer, affects most children between the ages of 2 and 4. Typical symptoms include fever, bleeding, deep pain in the bones, small red spots on the skin called petechiae, bruises and enlarged lymph nodes.

Notify your childs pediatrician if any of these concerns arise. Aside from that, you should schedule your child for routine checkups and wellness visits.

Routine checkups and wellness visits help monitor normal growth and development. A good pediatrician-patient relationship helps the physician better identify subtle signs of cancer and gives parents a trusted sounding board for the concerns parents or children may have, Dr. Confer says.

Many childhood cancers have become increasingly treatable, leading to longer survival rates. Dr. Confer says acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphoma or kidney tumors known as Wilms tumor all have more than a 90% five-year survival rate (the percentage of patients who are alive five years after receiving treatment or a diagnosis).

In fact, the overall five-year survival rate for childhood cancers has improved from 58% in the mid-1970s to 84%, according to the American Cancer Society. But, certain types of aggressive cancer still exist. Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare brain tumor, is often cited as the childhood cancer with the poorest survival rate (less than 1% for five years).

No matter the diagnosis, continual hope and quality, proven therapies are the most important factors for children and families facing childhood cancers, Dr. Confer says.

Here are some of the most common forms of therapies to treat childhood cancer.

Surgery can help many patients, whether you need an entire tumor removed or a procedure to ease pain caused by a tumor. Your childs surgeon can also debulk a tumor, meaning they remove part of it and treat the rest with another method. Surgery has the highest success rate when its contained to one area, before the cancer has an opportunity to metastasize (spread to other parts of the body).

High doses of radiation help reduce cancer by either killing the cells or damaging their DNA to slow growth. Over time, these cells die and your body removes them. You can either receive internal or external radiation. External radiation comes from a beam that treats a specific body part, whereas internal radiation is in solid or liquid form. More specifically, brachytherapy is the medical term for solid internal radiation. Your doctor will place capsules, seeds or ribbons near the tumor. Systemic therapy is the medical term for liquid internal radiation. With this method, the radiation travels through your blood via a pill, injection or IV to kill cancer cells.

Chemotherapy comes in many methods of application, such as IV, oral, injection, topical or through a catheter, port or pump. Chemotherapy also kills healthy cells, which is one of the downsides. This is why many chemotherapy patients lose their hair and experience other side effects. Depending on the type and progression of the cancer, chemotherapy can help shrink a tumor to increase the success rate of surgery or radiation. Chemotherapy can also fight against any lingering cancer cells following surgery or radiation. Its also used to treat cancer that returns or metastasizes.

The immune system is your bodys way of defending itself against harmful germs, bacteria and viruses. When it comes to cancer, the immune system can have trouble recognizing and fighting off harmful cells because cancer starts in healthy cells. Immunotherapy helps your body pinpoint cancer kills to better defend against them. There are many types of immunotherapy treatments to boost your immune system. One type, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, mixes your own T-cells with a virus that teaches the T-cells how to kill cancer cells.

Targeted therapy is a form of chemotherapy. But, as the name suggests, these drugs zero in on a specific area of the cancer cells. Depending on the drug, targeted therapy can change the protein levels in cancer cells or block chemical signals that help cancer cells grow. Other targeted therapy drugs can limit blood vessel production to cut off the cancer cells or distribute toxins to specifically kill the cancer while sparing healthy cells.

Stem cells, which originate in the bone marrow, make red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Leukemia and lymphoma start in the blood cells, causing damage to the cells your body needs to function. A stem cell transplant involves destroying cancer cells via chemotherapy and/or radiation before replacing them with new, healthy cells. This allows doctors to use stronger doses of chemotherapy or radiation knowing new cells, via a transplant, will replace old, damaged cells. Stem cell transplants can come from your own cells or the cells of another person. Donated cells are often more effective since they can help kill off cancer cells.

While you cant do anything to prevent your child from developing cancer, you can be proactive by scheduling regular checkups and looking out for warning signs and symptoms. Contact an INTEGRIS pediatrician if you have any concerns, and they can refer you to an oncologist at the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute.

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Different Types of Childhood Cancer | INTEGRIS - Integris

Baby whose nosebleeds turned out to be deadly condition saved by stranger – Mirror Online

A baby whose nose bleed turned out to be a one-in-a-million disease has had his life saved by a complete stranger.

Tiny Daniel McAvoy's parents were told he would die unless he received the stem cell transplant before he turned two.

The infant was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare blood disorder, when he was just ten weeks old.

Mum Georgie, 30, and dad Andrew, 37, noticed something wasnt right with their newborn when he suffered chronic nosebleeds and passed blood in his nappies.

But after desperately searching for the right donor for more than a year, Daniel has now had the transplant and is a smiley, happy tot back at home.

"Hes eating and playing and I really hope it continues that way. Im just so proud of him, hes done amazing," Georgie, of Benwick, Cambridgeshire, said today.

"There were plenty of times we thought he would die - we even had him christened in hospital because things werent looking great.

"He has the most severe level of the syndrome so from day one we were told he would need a transplant to replace his faulty immune system and defective cells and the procedure took place.

Doctors warned that he would go down quickly after the transplant but he hasnt and they're shocked."

When Daniel was first referred to hospital at three weeks old, medics first thought he had leukaemia, but after recovering from sepsis, he was discharged while they continued to look into the worrying case.

He was then rushed back to hospital at ten weeks old in July last year.

Georgie, who is a stay-at-home-mum, said: The nosebleeds went from nothing to doctors then telling us that he needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life.

He was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome in July 2019, which affects only one in a million boys and was the cause of the horrendous bleeds.

I never knew I was a carrier of the gene that causes it, so as a mum I felt pretty guilty that Id given him it."

The newborn woke up in May 2019 with a crust of blood on his nostril, which his parents thought was strange but a health visitor suggested it could be from a scratch.

But the tot began passing blood in vomit and nappies, and a GP then referred him to the hospital, where tests found he had a low platelet count that caused the bleeding.

Following a platelet transfusion to help stabilise him, Daniels parents were told he contracted sepsis but could also have meningitis and a rare type of leukaemia - so he was sent to a cancer ward.

Various procedures ruled out leukemia and out of nowhere the tiny tot began to get well again, so doctors discharged him.

Georgie added: Something still didnt sit right with me but some time later he had an unrelated hernia which needed an operation, and began having nose bleeds again.

I suggested that a doctor needed to look at the bigger picture because I knew there was something wrong with my baby.

The paediatrician looked back at all of Daniels notes and thought it was Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, which Id never heard of before, then after the operation to remove the hernia the haematologist agreed.

Within 24 hours of him being tested for this he was pretty much diagnosed and then doctors were speaking to us about bone marrow transplants - it all went very quickly.

In Daniels case, hes had a lot of bleeding problems - he bleeds from his gut, nose, eyes and mouth - so doctors were concerned about a catastrophic bleed that would kill him.

Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome is a primary immunodeficiency which caused Daniels bleeding and left him prone to infections such as sepsis and also cancer.

He began having antibody infusions once a week as charities such as DKMS ran their global register to find a life-saving stem cell donor for Daniel, and a match was found in September 2019.

Georgie said: We had a terrifying 12 week wait but we were really fortunate that it was quick before a match was found.

His transplant then got delayed three times - the first and second times were because he wasnt well enough, and the third time was due to coronavirus.

I just went into panic mode because I thought he was going to die from this.

But Daniels transplant finally took place after a week-long chemo and immunotherapy course.

Were taking it day by day - if its successful, within two years he should be a healthy little boy.

Its all been a mixture of feelings - its really nice how hes so young that he wont remember how awful this all is but at the same time, sitting there watching your child have chemotherapy is the most heartbreaking thing in the world.

I would do anything to switch places with him.

Now that baby Daniel has been given another shot at life, his family are now calling out for others to join the transplant registers, as four out of ten patients arent lucky enough to get a match.

Georgie added: Its incredible how an anonymous donor saved Daniels life - without that person there would be no Daniel, they are all we needed to give him a second chance at life.

Its so simple and easy to sign up, and by doing so, you could save a babys life.

If you are aged between 17 and 55 and in general good health take the first step to register as a blood stem cell donor by registering for your home swab kit at http://www.dkms.org.uk.

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Baby whose nosebleeds turned out to be deadly condition saved by stranger - Mirror Online

Over 40 lakh people in Telangana have developed COVID-19 antibodies: Health Minister Eatala – The New Indian Express

By Express News Service

HYDERABAD:Health Minister Eatala Rajender on Friday said that around 40 lakh people in the State are estimated to have developed Covid-19 antibodies, according to information recently revealed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) while announcing the results of its second round of sero survey conducted across the country.

That means that around 40 lakh people about 11 per cent of the States population have been affected by Covid-19 and cured of the disease, Eatala said while inaugurating the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine facility at NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad, which he said will prove to be a boon for poor cancer patients.

The facility will also help in bone marrow transplantation, he added. The Health Minister, who often criticises the ICMR for its handling of the Covid-19 crisis, on Friday blasted it for frequently changing its treatment guidelines.Telangana stuck to the claims it made during the start of pandemic on the approach taken to tackle the Covid-19 crisis, which he said have now been proved right.

Outpatient capacity to be increased at NIMS: Health Min

Earlier, Telangana said that convalescent plasma therapy is not very useful, costly medications such as Tocilizumab will not work and Remdesivirs usefulness will be limited. We had also said that treatments such as steroids will be good enough to treat Covid-19 patients. All these claims, backed by Gandhi Hospital doctors, have now come true, he said.

We had said that expenditure of `10,000 and quarantine is enough to provide Covid-19 treatment to patients with mild symptoms or those who are asymptomatic. ICU and oxygen beds will be required only for patients with severe symptoms, those with comorbidities or those who are poor and living in congested space. Even these claims have come true, he added.

Stressing that Covid-19 proves fatal in only limited cases, he said that now people would have to learn to live with Covid just the way they have learnt to live with seasonal ailments. Meanwhile, Eatala said that the outpatient consultation capacity at NIMS would be increased from 2,500 to 5,000 as the hospital was being provided `250 crore in the form of loan for construction of a new outpatient block along with a few critical care units. He also said that plans are being made on having separate entry and exit points at Gandhi Hospital for the treatment of non-Covid patients as hundreds of beds are lying unutilised. The Minister also said that the State government had planned to have four hospitals similar to NIMS, of which TIMS, Gachibowli, and AIIMS, Bibinagar, have materialised. A similar hospital is also being planned in Medchal-Shamirpet region, he added.

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Over 40 lakh people in Telangana have developed COVID-19 antibodies: Health Minister Eatala - The New Indian Express

Coming of Age: New Research Efforts are Improving Treatment of Childhood Blood Cancers – Curetoday.com

Over Mothers Day weekend 2011, Kimberly Schuetz took her 2-year-old son on a road trip from their hometown of Fall River, Wisconsin, to visit family in Illinois. Leading up to the journey, Austin had been his normal, energetic self.

He was eating like a horse and being very active, very playful. No sicknesses, fevers, or anything like that, Schuetz says.

On Saturday, Schuetzs father-in-law noticed something alarming while tickling his grandson. One of Austins lymph nodes on his neck had swollen to the size of a golf ball. As an oncology nurse, Schuetz immediately had a sick feeling in her stomach. Her mind went straight to thoughts of cancer.

While her gut reaction told her to take Austin to the emergency department, Schuetz decided to wait until Monday to visit his pediatrician back home. After all, her son was acting fine.

A week later, after visits to two pediatricians, the emergency department at their local hospital and pediatric hematologists at a childrens hospital, a bone marrow biopsy confirmed that Austin had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A cancer of the blood and bone marrow, ALL is the most common type of cancer that occurs in children.

I literally felt like I was living somebody elses life, like I was watching a movie. I remember sitting there and listening to the doctor, but I also felt like I was floating above myself, Schuetz says. I was numb and couldnt cry. Your brain just goes into this state of shock.

Omar Durani, a family physician in Dallas, Texas, went through similar feelings when his 9-month-old daughter Kenza received an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis. In 2016, her swollen lymph nodes signaled to Durani and his wife that something wasnt right.

As a physician and dad, its kind of difficult to figure out what hat to wear when, and how much to worry about things like that, he says. When the swelling worsened, we started advocating for blood work, but all the doctors we visited only kept giving her antibiotics.

Finally, an emergency department physician who Durani knew personally listened to their concerns and performed blood testing. The results came back with white cell counts through the roof, confirming the familys worst fears: Kenza had cancer.

Both ALL and AML are treated initially with chemotherapy, and for the vast majority of children, it works. More than 95% of children with ALL and about 85% to 90% of those with AML enter remission after the first phase of chemotherapy. However, remission does not necessarily mean a cure.

Austin relapsed in October 2012 after two phases of chemotherapy, and despite receiving a bone marrow transplant, his ALL came back a third time in May 2013. About 10% to 20% of children with ALL have a disease that relapses or is resistant to treatment. At that point, with no treatment options left, Austins parents were told he had three to six months to live.

We live 45 minutes away from the hospital, and our doctor ended up driving to our house, not to offer any solutions, because we didnt have a plan, but just to sit and cry with us, because she was so heartbroken and, in such disbelief, Schuetz says.

Some cancer in children does not respond to chemotherapy. After three rounds of chemotherapy, doctors told Durani that his daughters only hope would be a bone marrow transplant. But as a child of Asian descent and mixed ethnic background, Kenza had a less than 2% chance of finding a bone marrow donor match.

While research in adult blood cancers has led to an explosion of new targeted therapies and immunotherapies, such progress has been slower for younger patients. This can leave children such as Austin and Kenza without a path forward. Even for patients who do achieve long-term survival, the lingering toxicity of chemotherapy can lower their quality of life as adults.

Only four cancer treatments have been approved for first use in children in the last 40 years, compared with hundreds approved for treating adults during this same time frame, said Dr. Gwen Nichols, chief medical officer of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Out of all the federal funding that goes into cancer research, only 4% goes toward pediatric cancer research, said Dr. Deepa Bhojwani, director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program

at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in California. That being said, I would say within the last five to 10 years, there has been a lot more progress in terms of targeted treatment and immunotherapy than there was in the past.

But the tide may be turning for this young, vulnerable population with new research initiatives dedicated to applying precision medicine to pediatric blood cancers. Much of todays research in pediatric blood cancers aims to find tailored alternatives to chemotherapy that could prove just as or more effective with fewer harmful side effects.

Cancer is still the leading cause of death from disease among children and adolescents in the United States. From 2012 to 2016, leukemia and lymphoma accounted for 38.7% of all cancer types for patients under age 20. Approximately 40% of children with AML and 20% of those with ALL experience a relapse of their disease. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the most common type of lymphoma in children under age 14, that is resistant to first-line therapy has a very poor prognosis.

Before joining LLS, Nichols worked for a pharmaceutical company. She says that getting pediatric drugs tested and approved may be difficult because they typically do not bring in as much revenue as adult therapies.

As a result, upon arriving at LLS she was determined to figure out a faster, more efficient way to bring new agents and therapies to children with blood cancers.

In 2016, LLS launched the Beat AML Master Trial for adults with AML. It represented a paradigm shift in the format of clinical trials by testing several different targeted therapies in individual study arms instead of only one drug or combination of drugs at a time. Patients had a genomic screening to determine whether they had one of the genetic mutations that would make them eligible for one of the study arms to test a particular targeted therapy.

Its about 50% less expensive to do a master trial than it is to do one drug at a time. So, we needed to do something similar in pediatrics to make it more cost-efficient. But even more than that, if you want to get targeted therapies to kids, you have to have the right kids to test the drug, Nichols said. If youre doing one drug at a time, you have to screen thousands of kids to find the five that fit your drug, which costs time and money.

In 2019, LLS announced a collaboration with the National Cancer Institute and the Childrens Oncology Group called LLS PedAL (Pediatric Acute Leukemia), a global precision medicine master clinical trial in the same vein as the Beat AML trial. Children with relapsed acute leukemia will undergo genomic screening to match the specific abnormalities driving their cancer with one of several targeted therapies.

As part of The LLS Childrens Initiative: Cures and Care for Children, a $100 million, multiyear effort to take on pediatric blood cancers, LLS PedAL will test multiple agents simultaneously at up to 200 sites worldwide. Trials will follow the same format so that data from multiple institutions can be shared and consolidated.

Nichols and her colleagues hoped to begin the trial this year, but with the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, LLS PedALs start date has been pushed back to early 2021.

Another inspiring research project is the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP), a joint initiative from St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. Since 2010, the two insti- tutions have pioneered efforts to define the genomic landscape of pediatric cancer by sequencing the genomes of normal and cancer cells from 800 patients.

That work really filled in much of the landscape of mutations that drive ALL, AML and many of the other kinds of pediatric cancer, says Dr. James R. Downing, president and CEO of St. Jude, who was instrumental in launching the PCGP. In particular, important fundamental discoveries came out for ALL in terms of new understandings related to the identification of new genetic subtypes, amplifications, fusions and chromosomal translocations of the disease.

For instance, the PCGP pinpointed genes linked to an ALL subtype with a poor prognosis known as Philadelphia chromosome-like ALL (Ph-like ALL). In 2009, St. Jude scientists were among the first to describe Ph-like ALL in children. Five years later, next-generation sequencing revealed the genetic alterations that give rise to Ph-like ALL, which could be targeted with drugs widely used to treat other types of leukemia more common in adults.

A 2017 study from the PCGP identified potential targets for immunotherapies in pediatric cancers, finding that 88% of leukemias have at least one that could be exploited. A 2018 pan-cancer analysis that examined commonalities and differences among various cancer types, including ALL and AML, suggest that half of the cancers studied may have a targeted treatment available or under development.

The second phase of the genome project is moving all that technology into frontline diagnostics, Downing says. So now were getting the whole genome, whole exome and RNA sequencing of every patient, and we gain insight that can be funneled into a protocol that allows them to be treated.

St. Judes frontline ALL protocol includes an unparalleled level of genomic sequencing on the patient, on both cancer and normal cells, which allows physicians to make personalized therapeutic decisions. Downing hopes that collecting such a wealth of data will help usher in new therapies and lead to a further improvement in outcomes.

So the momentum is there, the studies are ongoing, and hopefully five years from now, we will have a huge variety of therapies to offer our kids instead of just one, Bhojwani says.

Bhojwani participates in the Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia & Lymphoma (TACL) consortium, which has its headquarters at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. TACL brings together childrens hospitals and universities to accelerate the progress of new therapies for pediatric leukemia and lymphoma. The consortium includes 31 institutions in the United States and Australia that collaborate on clinical trials of new drugs and novel therapy combinations in the hopes of expanding the number of treatments available.

Both Kenza and Austin were saved by an experimental treatment called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy administered in a clinical trial. It involves engineering the bodys T cells, a type of white blood cell, to produce receptors on their surface called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The engineered cells are infused back into the patient, where they can recognize and kill cancer cells.

The Duranis couldnt find a bone marrow donor match for Kenza, despite having more than 60 donor drives inspired by her diagnosis that registered more than 5,000 new potential bone marrow donors around the country. At that point, they decided to move forward with CAR-T cell therapy coupled with a haploidentical, or partially matched, stem cell transplant in August 2016.

It was a no-brainer for us since there were no other therapies available besides a standard bone marrow transplant, Durani says. Now Kenzas been in remission for four years, and shes doing fantastic. Shes a thriving, spunky 5-year-old.

After his third relapse, Austins parents enrolled him in a clinical trial to receive CAR-T cell therapy as a last- ditch effort to save their son. He received the treatment at the beginning of October, and on Halloween which also happens to be his mothers birthday they received the good news that his biopsy showed no traces of cancer.

I immediately started screaming and crying. I was just elated. It was the best birthday present that I could ever, ever have. Nothing will ever top that, Schuetz says.

Today, Austin is a typical 12-year-old boy who enjoys video games, swimming with his friends and complaining about household chores. He and Kenza are living proof that innovations such as CAR-T cell therapy give children who have run out of options another chance at life.

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Coming of Age: New Research Efforts are Improving Treatment of Childhood Blood Cancers - Curetoday.com

World Rose Day 2020: History and significance of the welfare of cancer patients – Hindustan Times

World Rose Day is annually celebrated on September 22 in dedication to the welfare of cancer patients. (Pixabay)

World Rose Day is annually celebrated on September 22 in dedication to the welfare of cancer patients. On this day, people around the world work towards bringing cheer and hope into the lives of all those people who have been affected by cancer. More importantly, it seeks to remind patients and their caregivers, that they are not alone in this battle against the deadly disease.

Cancer treatments are quite tasking on the body and mind of those who have been affected. With the changes their bodies encounter and the sheer mental trauma of being ravaged by this disease can wreak havoc with most people. According to Dr. Ganapathi Bhat, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Stem cell Transplant Physician at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, The financial costs associated with cancer are often overwhelming. Cancer affects a persons diet and eating habits in many ways. The illness can in itself cause weight loss, lack of appetite or other problems associated with eating. Cancer also often affects your self-image and self-esteem. Possible changes in physical appearance and depleted health can be frightening. Having cancer can undermine your mental and physical wellbeing. But by making even the simplest gestures of kindness, each and every one of us can bring some comfort to their lives. Even though that alone is not enough to cure them, it can certainly ease their suffering.

World Rose Day for the Welfare of Cancer Patients was first observed in honour of 12-year-old Melinda Rose from Canada, who was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer known as Askins Tumour. Even while the doctors had only given her weeks to live, she went on to live for 6 months and spent her time bringing joy and hope to all the diagnosed people around her. She reached out to all the cancer patients, sharing poems, letters and emails with them, to bring some cheer into their lives. Her kindness and optimism serve as a reminder to us all, that even in the most bleak of all situations, hope is what keeps us going.

By offering roses to cancer patients and their caregivers, people extend their concern and offer tenderness in the face of this harsh disease. Unfortunately, the medical and science fields are yet to come up with an absolute cure for cancer, despite their constant dedication to this cause, we can all contribute in our own way by being mindful of their suffering and ensuring that we care for them and contribute to their strength so that they may continue fighting.

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World Rose Day 2020: History and significance of the welfare of cancer patients - Hindustan Times

Guide to Voting on Propositions and the City of San Bernardino’s Measure S – Black Voice News

Local Measure

San Bernardino Measure S

NO on Measure S in San Bernardino: It would raise taxes so the mayor can pay for sexual harassment lawsuits and give tax dollars to employees who work for the city but do not live in the city. Currently only 10% of the employees working for the city are Black and only 5% work in the police department. Only 8% of the sworn police officers live in the city and the city has never hired a Black as chief of police in 115 years. Blacks make up 13.8% of the city population and pay taxes.

Propositions

Proposition 14

NO on Prop 14: Taxpayers will be on the hook for $5.5 billion in bonds aimed at reviving the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a program created in 2004 to boost stem cell research.

Proposition 15

NO on Prop 15: It would leave Californias Prop13 tax rules unchanged, which is a benefit to older Black homeowners. Small businesses will see their rents increase. This will hurt in the long run and the County Assessors offices up and down the state said it is unworkable.

Proposition 16

YES on Prop 16: It would be a giant step to help undo the results of long-standing institutionalized race and gender discrimination that have been key to economic and social inequality. This would put California back in step with Federal Laws governing Equal Opportunity in Employment, access to educational institutions of higher learning and provide fair access to government contracts for women and minority owned businesses.

Proposition 17

YES on Prop 17: It would make it legal for people who have paid their debt to society to vote while on parole for a felony conviction.

Proposition 18

YES on Prop 18: It would make it legal for people who will turn 18 in time for the general election to vote, even while still 17, at the time of that years primary.

Proposition 19

NO on Prop 19: Currently, a parent or grandparent can bestow their low tax rate while passing on a rental home or vacation property. This feature would be eliminated under Prop 19.

Proposition 20

NO on Prop 20: This initiative is being bankrolled by the states prison guards union and they are trying to keep the prisons full to protect their jobs. Plus, it will be unjust to Blacks and Hispanic people by adding stiffer penalties for those who violate the terms of their parole three times and require DNA samples be taken from people convicted of misdemeanors.

Proposition 21

NO on Prop 21: Some say it could make a dent in homelessness, a problem that is a crisis in our community. However, rent control does not work as some have learned and a rent board would be in charge of the owners property.

Proposition 22

YES on Prop 22: This initiative is about independent thinking people who use their own cars and cell phones to work when they want to, depending on their personal life situation. A yes vote will provide new benefits such as healthcare and a minimum wage. Plus, we have a lot of Black people who love working for themselves.

Proposition 23

NO on Prop 23: This legislation would require at least one physician to be on site at an operating dialysis clinic adding more expense to those who need the service. There are not enough doctors to do this work and the cost would eliminate many clinics in Black and Brown communities.

Proposition 24

NO on Prop 24: This measure would expand and add to Californias two-year-old law on consumer data privacy and create another layer to an already confusing system.

Proposition 25

NO on Prop 25: This is a risk assessment system that would replace cash bail and is biased because it uses a computer program that is inflexible to human special needs in this special time of need.

Hardy Brown Sr. is Publisher Emeritus of the Black Voice News.

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Guide to Voting on Propositions and the City of San Bernardino's Measure S - Black Voice News