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Big new break through in the steps to curing cancer. Harvard Scientist have found a new drug combination that stops the growth of cancer and could be the answer to curing all cancer. Although the research isn't the cure from cancer its the start that is needed to find cancer. In order for the two drugs to work they must be given together. The two drug combination could possible cure most types of cancer but for some it could spell disaster.

This article pertains to the neurological disorder, Parkinson's Disease (PD). PD is known to reduce motor system function due to the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. Most symptoms related to PD include tremors, trembling, and slowness of movement (bradykinesia). As the disease progresses these tremors begin to effect daily activities like chewing and speaking. Unfortunately there is no cure for Parkinson's Disease. The most common treatment for PD is the use of medications such as levodopa. Due to complications with current medications other treatments like deep brain stimulation and surgery are commonly used. Parkinson's Disease is both chronic and progressive. Tremors and other symptoms will occur for long periods of time and possibly grow worse. Patients with PD experience varying symptoms and intensities. Current research being done in response to Parkinson's is being conducted at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and elsewhere. Current topics of research include discovering the cause of PD, and the development of protective drugs needed to delay, prevent, and even reverse the disease.

Alzheimer's is actually a common form of dementia. Roughly 50-80 percent of patients with dementia are associated with Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is considered a neurological disorder with loss of memory, thinking and behavioral function. Alzheimer's is common diagnosed in patients 65 and older with the exception of patients with Early-Onset Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's progressively worsens over time and commonly culminates in death 8 years after symptoms start to arrive. Again no cure has been found for alzheimer's, but certain medications are used to treat symptoms. A build-up of plaques and tangles in the brain is suspected to kill nerve cells and cause a loss of brain function. The loss of nerve cells causes gaps in the communication network and eventually causes a loss of function in those areas of the brain. Although scientists do not know their exact role in Alzheimer's, patients have been associated with an abundant amount of these abnormal structures.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder associated with sudden seizures. In diagnosing epilepsy, the patient must have displayed two unexpected seizures. Epilepsy can be life - threatening and disabling or benign. Typical symptoms associated with epilepsy are strange sensations, emotions, and behavior. The cause of epilepsy is uncertain, but abnormal brain wiring may have an effect. With no cure for epilepsy, modern day medications and surgeries are used to treat patients. Due to the stigma associated with epilepsy, some children develop behavioral and emotional issues. The restriction of independence, like being denied a drivers license due to seizures, is also emotionally challenging for these patients. Current research being conducted for patients with epilepsy include the development of new models used to determine treatments, and brain implants which control seizures. 

In cancer cells good genes are turned off, while bad ones are turned on through a process called DNA Methylation. The good genes could suppress the cancer if the methyl groups suppressing the genes were removed. Soy Isoflavones, antioxidants found in anything made of soy flour, have been shown to reverse Methylation. This allows the good genes to become activated. This can not only help prevent cancer, but help improve the efficiency of existing treatments, radiation and chemotherapy. The prevention of methylation may also help slow the progression and spreading of cancer. Soy Isoflavones have virtually no negative side affects making them another useful tool in finding better ways to fight and cure cancer.

Though MS obviously has no cure there are plenty of procedures and medications that can be used to lessen the effects of the disease. Treating specific attacks reduces the damage to the myelin sheath. Two methods for controlling the attacks are plasma exchanges and corticosteroids. Another way to control the effects of MS is by slowing the progression of the disease. There are many different drugs that slow the rate of relapses some of which include Beta Interferons, Copaxone, Gilenya, and Tysabri. In addition to these medications, other strategies can be used to treat the symptoms, which include physical therapy and muscle relaxants. 

There is no "magic bullet" in the fight against cancer, but one step towards curing cancer is Immunotherapy. The generally accepted hypothesis is that the immune system is the best tool humans have for fighting disease. Immunotherapy is thought to be less toxic than current treatments, however it is rarely used by itself to treat cancer. There are limitations to the effectiveness of Immunotherapy; the normal immune system cannot sense tumor cells, the response from the immune system is not strong enough when the body does recognize tumor cells, and tumors can defend themselves. There are three types of Immunotherapy Passive, components of the immune system are engineered outside of the body to attack cancer cells; Active, stimulates the body's own immune system to fight cancer; and Combination, uses both passive and active activity. Passive Immunotherapy's use antibodies created outside of the body to provide immunity or help fight off a disease. One type of passive immunotherapy is Monoclonal antibody therapy (mAb), the most widely used form of immunotherapy. Active Immunotherapy work by stimulating the immune system to 'actively' respond to the disease. One type of active immunotherapy is Provenge, a therapeutic prostate cancer vaccine. Therapeutic cancer vaccines are given to patients with cancer to help stimulate the immune system to fight the cancer. Combination Therapy is still in clinical studies but is thought to have a greater potential than active or passive immunotherapy because it combines the activity of both therapies. Immunotherapy may not be the magic bullet to fighting cancer, but when used early and with other treatments it has proven effective.

Using the ISOpure computational purification tool, scientists and medical professionals can develop a prognosis and treatment plan for a certain cancer patients at a much quicker rate. The tool used in this process can help identify the cancerous tissue located in the organs and provide medical professionals further notice of the proportion of RNA originating from cancer cells allowing them to develop treatment plans ahead of time. ISOpure uses an algorithm which determines the proportion of RNA in the organ(s). The real challenges of developing these treatments is of course extracting a portion of tissue with both a normal profile and a cancer profile to predict the spread of the disease. After this portion of tissue has been extracted the ISOpure modeling can process the data using simple MATLAB software. The success of this computational tool is noted to improve the prediction of extra-prostatic-extension (EPE) by 10% in cancer profiles compared to the unpurified models.