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OPINION
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Immunotherapy an important tool in war on cancer
BY ZHIBO ZHANG GSN Guest Writer
According to the World Health Organization, cancer caused the loss of almost 10 million lives in 2020 and was e ectively behind nearly one in six deaths that year. Considering such statistics, cancer has remained an extensively researched topic, and three procedures in particular – surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy –continue to exist as pillars of cancer treatment.
However, there is another approach to treatment that, despite showing promise, isn’t as well-known: immunotherapy.
Fundamentally, immunotherapy in cancer treatment focuses on enhancing and/or engineering the immune system to ght cancer.
It’s a subject that’s being studied around the world, and several investigations are being held across institutions with local sites, like Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers, and Mayo Clinic. Here are a few notable treatments currently: • Adoptive cell therapies: Adoptive cell therapies revolve around the extraction, cultivation, and insertion of cancer- ghting immune cells with either natural genetics or genetic modi cations.
Cells particularly useful in this type of therapy are T cells. Speci cally, there are many treatments that genetically alter T cells to have special receptors, elevating the cells’ ability to locate and destroy cancer. In terms of local clinical trials involving adoptive cell therapy, according to their clinical trials listings online, Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale/Phoenix) has a trial involving ALLO-501A labeled as open for enrollment; also, the Current Cancer Clinical Trials page of the Banner Health website includes a listing for a Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center (Gilbert) trial involving JCAR017. • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: In the human body, among the immune checkpoint molecules that regulate the immune system, there are ones that speci cally halt immune responses.
Although they can help protect healthy cells, such stop checkpoints can also be used by some cancer cells to avoid immune system detection/attacks. Consequently, researchers have developed immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs to block such checkpoints used by cancer cells and thereby allow for greater immune reactions. One drug of that type is Pembrolizumab, which is being studied locally in a clinical trial by Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers (Chandler, in addition to Scottsdale, Mesa, and Gilbert). • Vaccines: Cancer vaccines are mainly split between two categories: preventive and therapeutic.
Preventive vaccines try to prevent cancer generally by strengthening the immune system against cancer-causing viruses; these vaccines are typically created from virus proteins and/or parts. In contrast, therapeutic vaccines help the immune system target cancer cells; these vaccines can be created from immune cells, cancer cell parts, bacteria, or other components.
Locally, according to their Clinical Trials listings online, Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale/Phoenix) has at least two cancer-vaccine-related clinical trials labeled as open for enrollment, with one trial involving TAEK-VAC-HerBy and another involving PolyPEPI1018. ere are still numerous other aspects to immunotherapy in treating cancer, like cancer- targeting viruses, speci c treatments, etc. In general though, the subject has potential, and investigations into T-cell procedures, immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs, etc. continue to be held.
Ultimately, only time will tell how this encouraging eld progresses.
Chandler Gilbert Arc has been serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the East Valley since 1975, providing community living, community based employment and day services and community living, community based employment and day services and training. We help people with varying support needs to achieve their fullest potential while improving their quality of life. fullest potential while improving their quality of life.
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Gilbert resident Zhibo Zhang will graduate from Gilbert Classical Academy in May 2023. He checked the status of the Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers trial earlier this month. e trials mentioned in this column are examples, but aren’t necessarily the only local trials involving that treatment category. e column does not o er medical advice and is meant to provide information about immunotherapy in cancer treatment.
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Expect a quick return of sellers market to Gilbert
BY MINDY JONES
GSN Columnist
How we’re halfway through the rst month of the year, you’ll never be able to explain to any of us who still feel like we’re recovering from holidays and school breaks but with calendars already packed, it’s time we snap out of that sugarplum fairy coma and get with the 2023 program.
While you were busy thinking up which new year’s resolutions you could actually stick to this year, the real estate market decided to stop hitting snooze, get to the gym early and show o in the morning spin class.
After a jolting summer where inventory rose as fast as the outdoor temps and prices took a hit in an empathetic move towards buyers who were facing escalating interest rates, the Arizona real estate market slipped into a bit of a food coma in the fall where both buyers and sellers sat staring at each other from across the table, neither too interested in making a move.
As Gilbert became a little more festive, hearts warmed up and sellers started to open up their pockets for some healthy negotiation to get things moving. Seller concessions, closing costs, interest rate buy downs – almost anything was back on the table.
But this time it wasn’t buyers who were o ering to give up their rst born just to get the house but sellers instead who were willing to make the deal work even if it meant a bigger dent in the pile of equity that most were still walking away with.
Something interesting happened in
December and short of describing it as an old fashion game of telephone, it seems as if enough time had passed since the summer shift, that buyers started to feel comfortable seriously considering making a move and even, gasp, making some o ers. And it seems like they all talked about doing it at the same time.
With interest rates a little less scary starting with a 6 instead of a 7, home prices starting to stabilize casting doubt on the skeptics who were sure that the market was crashing, and a few more stories from friends or family giving them the social proof that a slower market didn’t necessarily mean anything was wrong with the market – and we were o to the races.
By the time the ball dropped, the climbing inventory had reversed trend and fallen by 20%. New listings were coming to market at a snail’s pace and buyer demand had picked up taking the buyer’s market that was less than 30 days old into balanced territory here in Gilbert and valley wide.
Just two weeks into the new year and
gym early and show o in the morning
After a jolting summer where inventory rose as fast as the outdoor market slipped into a bit of a food coma in the fall where both buyers and sellers sat staring at each other from across the table, neither too interested on the table.
But this time it wasn’t buyers who were o ering to give up their rst born just to get the house but sellers inbigger dent in the pile of equity that most were still walking away with.
Something interesting happened in December and short of describing it as an old fashion game of telephone, it seems as if enough time had passed
see MARKET page RE2
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6208-0721 we’re seeing the market continue to move rapidly with more than half of the Valley’s cities in a balanced or seller’s market leaving just West Valley cities, Queen Creek and Maricopa in buyer’s territory.
New construction is booming and will likely continue that way as buyers nd prices easier to swallow when they are the rst one in the driver’s seat.
Predictions include improved interest rates, continued expectations around negotiations, more reasonable pricing and more normal appreciation, and the return of investors (many whom never left!) looking for good buy and hold inventory as prices stabilize and rental rates climb.
There’s lots of speculation around our iBuyer friends and their buying plans but in the meantime, primary home owners and mom and pop investors are taking over and are happy to keep the spotlight shining bright on them.
Here in Gilbert, active listings have dropped and the median monthly sales price has settled right around its 2021 counterpart at just over half a million dollars and with active building from the South to the North of the town, we can expect continued interest in developments large and small.
The real estate market isn’t going to be the only thing making headlines this month but it will continue to be a big one. Everyone has a vested interest in a strong real estate market and with very real concerns about a lack of housing at all different price points, you can expect to see Gilbert in seller’s market territory in no time.
Mindy Jones, a Gilbert Realtor and owner of the Amy Jones Group brokered by EXP Realty, can be reached at 480-2503857, Mindy@AmyJonesGroup.com or AmyJonesGroup.com.
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