inflammation
Precision Medicine: Who Benefits from Aspirin to Prevent Colorectal Cancer?
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
In recent years, scientific evidence has begun to accumulate that indicates taking aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on a daily basis may lower the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Now, a new study provides more precise information on who might benefit from this particular prevention strategy, as well as who might not.
Published in the journal JAMA, the latest work shows that, for the majority of people studied, regular use of aspirin or NSAIDs was associated with about a one-third lower risk of developing colorectal cancer. But the international research team, partly funded by NIH, also found that not all regular users of aspirin/NSAIDs reaped such benefits—about 9 percent experienced no reduction in colorectal cancer risk and 4 percent actually appeared to have an increased risk [1]. Was this just coincidence, or might there be a biological explanation?
Rare Disease Sleuths Uncover New Clues to Stroke
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Caption: A variation in the gene that codes for a key blood vessel enzyme makes children prone to fevers, rash, and strokes.
Credit: Jonathan Bailey, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH
A medical mystery that began when a 3-year-old girl came to the NIH Clinical Center here in Bethesda, MD, a decade ago has just been solved. The findings not only promise to help children suffering from a devastating rare disease, but to advance our overall understanding of stroke and other blood vessel disorders.
When researchers first met the little girl, they were baffled. She had a most unusual—and unexplained—constellation of symptoms: recurring fevers, rashes, and strokes, which, sadly, had left her severely disabled. Researchers thought the cause probably wasn’t genetic, because none of the girl’s family members were affected, plus they hadn’t seen other children with similar problems. While they searched for clues, they treated the girl with immunosuppressive drugs to reduce blood vessel inflammation and thereby lower the chance of future strokes.
NIH Research Leads to New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Copyright (2012) American College of Rheumatology.
About 1.5 million [1] people in the US suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is a chronic illness in which the immune system, which protects us from viral and bacterial invaders, turns on our own body and viciously attacks the membranes that line our joints. The consequences can be excruciating: pain, swelling, stiffness, and decreased mobility. Over time, the joints can become permanently contorted, as in this X-ray image.
There are several RA medications on the market, but I want to tell you about a new one called tofacitinib, a pill which the FDA approved late last year [2]. The drug works by targeting a protein called Janus kinase 3, which was discovered by John O’Shea and colleagues here at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) 20 years ago [3]. As I mentioned in a previous post it takes a really long time to go from a basic discovery to a drug—in most cases nearly 15 years. This drug has been even longer in the making! Shortly after discovering Janus kinase 3 in 1993, NIAMS researchers also revealed its role in inflammation, leading to a public-private collaboration with Pfizer that has now culminated in the approval of tofacitinib.
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