Breast Cancer Vaccine Developed by Tennessee State University Researcher and Colleagues Shows Promise in Preliminary Trial

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A Tennessee State University scientist and a group of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine at St. Louis have come up with an experimental vaccine for breast cancer that appears to be safe in a preliminary trial.

According to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, Dr. Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi, assistant professor of Biological Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, and his colleagues found that the experimental vaccine, Mammaglobin-A, was “overexpressed” in 40 to 80 percent of primary breast cancers.

Also known as MAM-A, the vaccine prompted CD8 T-cells to track and eliminate the MAM-A protein, noted Tiriveedhi. To determine the efficacy and safety of the experimental drug, he said they conducted a phase I trial involving 14 patients diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.

“The side effects from the vaccine after one year were minimal, and included rashes, tenderness, and mild flu-like symptoms,” added Tiriveedhi, who specializes in cancer and immunology.

By the one-year mark, the study revealed, roughly 50 percent of the patients showed no sign of disease progression. By comparison, only 20 percent of a similar group of 12 patients showed no signs of disease progression one year out.

The researchers, however, stressed the need for a larger and longer study, to prove the current preliminary evidence prior to its use in all breast cancer patients. They theorized that “these promising results” from initial studies could be applied not only to prevent cancer progression but also to prevent the development of breast cancer in women.

“The current one (study) is a small Phase-I trial mainly aimed at testing the safety (does no harm). But we have also found this vaccine to be highly effective against the disease. The next step is to go for larger Phase II/III studies with a higher cohort of breast cancer patients and rigorously test for efficiency, dosing, clinical outcomes, cancer stage specificity, etc.,” noted Tiriveedhi, who holds MD and Ph.D. degrees.

He called the study a “promising move forward” that is not just restricted to breast cancer, but one that can be employed in “similar strategies” to treat other cancers such as lung and colon cancers.

“The MAM-A DNA vaccine is safe, capable of eliciting MAM-A–specific CD8 T-cell responses, and preliminary evidence suggests improved PF,” the researchers concluded.

Dr. Tiriveedhi, who came to Tennessee State University about a year and half ago, started the study, “Safety and Preliminary Evidence of Biologic Efficacy of a Mammaglobin-A DNA Vaccine in Patients with Stable Metastatic Breast Cancer,” with his colleagues at Washington University before leaving to join the faculty at TSU.

Lady Marauders Earn First Road Win

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The Central State Lady Marauders picked up their first road win of the season with a 73-66 victory over Alderson Broaddus.

From CSU’s athletic site, “The Battlers got off to a strong start, leading by as many as 5 midway through the 1st half. A 3 pointer from Sydney Shaffer gave the Battlers a 17-12 lead with 8:51 to go in the period. CSU responded with a 9-0 run en route to a 27-23 lead at half. CSU forward Kourtni Perry finished the half with 10 points to lead all scorers.”

Broaddus was ahead by as many as 5 points on two occurances. Iniquia Snell got hot and made two 3 pointers on back-to-back possessions to help CSU back in the game.

Forward Amanda Pierce capitalized on two free throws to give CSU their first lead since much earlier in the game. The game turned to be much more interesting because each teams were trading baskets, Broaddus led 60-59 with five minutes left.

With their backs against the wall, CSU responded with a 10-0 run. Snell made both free throws at two minutes to put the Lady Marauders up 69-60. CSU’s defense would kept the lead. With much determination, they held the Battlers to just one field goal and forced three turnovers.

Snell and Perry led all scorers with 18 points each. Perry snagged 13 rebounds to record her third-straight double double. Amanda Pierce dominated the game, she finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks.

“Kourtni and Amanda have been playing really well together as of late,” CSU Head Coach Sheba Harris said, according to the school’s website. “As a team, we had another 60 rebound performance, 33 on the offensive end. We still have to do a better job of finishing around the basket.”

CSU’s woman’s basketball will try to make it two in a row when it faces off against Davis & Elkins on Saturday at 2pm.

Posted by Robert Hoggard Posted on 231 articles

Morehouse Grad Sets New Fashion Trend

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Anthony Moultry is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and has his own collegiate apparel line. Moultry, who has a B.A. degree in Political Science from Morehouse, together with his brother Amery and friend Winston Mathis recently started this new clothing company after witnessing what his HBCU had to offer at the college bookstore.

Moultry says he noticed how the apparel at his university’s bookstore gears toward athleticism, events for tailgating and sports games, and simply wanted to create a more classic and sophisticated gear.

“The motivation to start a collegiate apparel line came from a visit to Morehouse College bookstore,” said Moultry.

He added, “At that moment I decided there was a need for said apparel within the HBCU community. So my idea for the collegiate line, Chicer Collegiate, was born.”

“Chicer Collegiate” differs from other HBCU apparel. Although some pieces have panache and flair, the majority of the garments’ color schemes and silhouettes are minimalist.

Moultry says he has always been into fashion and immediately began to research licensing so that he could use the universities name on his apparel.

“The most difficult process was obtaining the license from Morehouse College,” Moultry said. “Morehouse was very particular about their brand and who was granted access to it, given that it is one of the top HBCUs in the country.”

The apparel line gives a nod to the 1950’s and 60’s, an era when such designs were prevalent. The clothing line includes polo shirts, cardigan sweaters, rugby pullovers and hoodies. Even though he originally wanted to create a more sophisticated apparel for his alma mater, Moultry plans to acquire licensing to make apparel for other HBCUs and non HBCU institutions.

Outside of Chicer Collegiate, Moultry also does photography and actually started his own photography business while in college, which is still up and active today.

“…My advice to young Black innovators is to keep pressing forward, there will be obstacles and detours, but stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize,” Moultry said on advice and motivation to other black innovators and entrepreneurs.

“Education is the key to unlock many doors,” he said. “The preservation of these institutions and their legacies is also very important, as they are quite significant in American History and should be maintained.”

Moultry said he wants to expand to retail stores in Atlanta where he currently lives.

Keshia Knight Pulliam Speaks Out On Cosby Allegations

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After months of being on the defensive, Bill Cosby’s longtime friend and actress Phylicia Rashad argued for him after she recently broken her silence about the many rape allegations associated with Cosby, calling the allegations an attack on his legacy.

“Forget these women … What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy,” Rashad said. “And I think it’s orchestrated. I don’t know why or who’s doing it, but it’s the legacy.”

“… Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV, and it’s worked. All his contracts have been cancelled,” she said.

Now Keshia Knight Pulliam, who played Cosby’s TV daughter “Rudy Huxtable” on the show, draws attention to the allegations, saying they are just that–allegations.

“I wasn’t there, no one was there except for the two people to know exactly what happened,” she said. “All I can speak to is the man that I know and I love.” She added, “It’s very much been played out in the court of public opinion. We’re still in America where ultimately you’re innocent until proven guilty.”

Cosby has yet to break his silence on the rape allegations surrounding him.

However, some historically black college and university leaders have made moves to protect their brands from the rape allegations linked to Cosby by distancing themselves from the matter altogether. Most notably Spelman College, who in 1988 was gifted a $20 million donation from Cosby and his wife Camille, broke ties with Cosby after indefinitely suspending the William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship.

“The William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship was established to bring positive attention and accomplished visiting scholars to Spelman College in order to enhance our intellectual, cultural and creative life,” according to a press release by Spelman officials. “The current context prevents us from continuing to meet these objectives fully.”

Several HBCUs currently still has strong ties with Cosby, and many buildings on Black college campuses nationwide are named after the famed star.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @MeadeReport

Edward Waters College Biology Professor to Moderate at Florida Health Equity Research Institute Committee Summit

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20140131_112131JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An Edward Waters College Biology Professor continues to have a hand in helping state lawmakers improve the overall health care of Florida. Prabir K. Mandal, Ph.D. will moderate the first session of the Florida Health Disparities Summit held in Tampa, Florida January 9th and 10th.

Dr. Mandal will preside over ‘Session A: Research Infrastructure and Resources for Health Disparities” during the Florida Health Equity Research Institute’s Steering Committee annual summit. Dr. Mandal was appointed to the committee in 2014 and coordinates with the group to implement the Health Disparities Research Agenda for Florida.

The Health Equity Research Institute (HERI) was approved by the Board of Governors in 2013 to promote and foster collaborative efforts to address health disparities in Florida, especially in areas with limited health care resources.

Florida Rep. Joseph Gibbons (D) of Hallandale Beach created the HERI with the understanding that partnership with academic and research institutions, as well as community, is necessary to identify and eliminate health disparities.

Edward Waters College (EWC), accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges, and Schools (SACS) and member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), is a private, historically black, urban college which offers a liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the Christian principles of high moral and spiritual values. EWC was established in 1866 and is an African Methodist Episcopal Church-related institution of learning. It is the oldest private institution of higher education in the State of Florida.

Spring Hill College Gets First SIAC Win

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The Spring Hill College  men’s basketball team earned a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference  home victory versus the Fort Valley State University  Wildcats by a score of 70-67 on Wednesday night at the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center with freshman guard Jack Morrissey providing the heroics with a deep three ball off the right side with just 9 seconds remaining.

The Wildcats (0-10, 0-3 SIAC East) trailed 32-29 at intermission and by as much as 16 points at 49-33 with 11:32 left in the game, but rallied to tie the game at 59-59 at 4:02 when 7-foot, 300-pound FVSU center Ralph Wilson drained consecutive 3-point buckets from the top of the key in a 30 second time period.

Spring Hill rebuilt a 4-point lead at 2:39 and the score 66-62, but could not find a way to shake off a pesky Wildcat team who tied the game at 67-67 off 1-of-2 free throws by Jamall Garror with 45 seconds on the clock.

Senior Badger guard Robert Drummond then ran the shot clock down to less than 10 seconds before finding Morrissey three feet behind the arc for the winning points as two FVSU 3-pointers in the final eight seconds did not find their marks.

Morrissey finished with 12 points to lead the Badgers in scoring while freshman guard Matevz Rojc added 10 points and sophomore center Sam Hutcheson hauled in 10 rebounds. As a team, SHC shot 48.9% (23-47) from the floor and 50% (8-16) in 3-point attempts while suffering 13 turnovers versus six steals by the Wildcats.

FVSU was led by Wilson with 15 points and forward Tyrone Brinson with 12 rebounds as FVSU shot 41.8% (23-55) overall and 29.6% (8-27) from 3-point distance.  The Wildcats earned a slim 35-34 advantage in rebounds and lost eight turnovers to six SHC steals

AKA Cast Members of VH1’s Sorority Sisters Suspended Until 2016

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According to the organization’s website, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has suspended Sorority Sisters cast member April McRae and Rwanda “Joy” Hammond who has been featured on the series.

In an earlier interview, the women all agreed that they would be devastated if they were suspended. April also said that before the show aired she believed she took the necessary precautions, by speaking to corporate, in order to make sure that the organization’s name was not “defamed” and that they knew she wasn’t trying to exploit them for “financial gain.”

It seems, though, that the sorority sister’s involvement with the show has taken a turn for the worst because according to April, all of the women have received death threats.

Read more here.

NCAT’s Gibbs Crowned Miss Black N.C.

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Madison Gibbs has never been what she calls, a “pageant girl.” In fact, she’s only ever participated in four. As it turns out, she’s pretty good at it. In December, she was crowned Miss Black North Carolina USA after competing in the scholarship pageant at the Garner Performing Arts Center.

“I didn’t think I was going to win,” she said. “I don’t like to pump myself up in my head. I try to remain calm and focus on what I am doing. I don’t like to focus on what anyone else is doing.”

Gibbs, 21, participated in the scholarship pageant after being crowned Miss Black Piedmont USA. Prior to that title, she participated in the first Mister and Miss A&T pageant where she was the first runner up and her senior year of high school, she was crowned Miss Dudley.

“In high school, when I competed, I cried so much and said I never wanted to do another pageant in my life,” she said.

Gibbs is now poised to represent her home state in the Miss Black USA scholarship pageant in August.

“Whether I win or not, I think the next one is going to be my last one,” she said.

In addition to winning it all, she also placed first in the categories of evening and athletic wear as well as talent, an area she struggled with in previous competitions.

“For my first pageant, I did a spoken word piece and that is really hard to pull off. Then I did a liturgical dance set to Maya Angelou’s ‘And Still I Rise’,” Gibbs said. “This time I said, ‘I need to do something I know how to do and that I’m good at’.”

Read Full at NCAT

Phylicia Rashad on Cosby Abuse Claims: ‘Forget These Women’

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(USA Today) Bill Cosby’s iconic TV wife is now speaking out about the sex abuse allegations that have dogged him since the end of 2014.

Actress Phylicia Rashad, who played the elegant, intelligent Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show,spoke with Showbizz 411 during a special luncheon in honor of the film Selma on Tuesday and told a reporter that she thinks the controversy is a well-coordinated smear campaign and nothing more.

“Forget these women,” she said. “What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it’s orchestrated. I don’t know why or who’s doing it, but it’s the legacy. And it’s a legacy that is so important to the culture … Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV, and it’s worked. All his contracts have been canceled.”

Read more at USAToday.com.

A Colorado NAACP Office Was Bombed Today

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In what appears to be an attack on a well-known civil rights organization, an “improvised explosive device” detonated on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Colorado Springs, Colorado NAACP, according to a statement by the FBI. No one was killed or injured in the explosion, and there was “only minimal surface charring to the exterior wall of the building,” which also includes a hair salon. The explosion could have been much worse, however, as the explosive device was placed next to a gasoline can in an apparent attempt to increase the force of the explosion. The gasoline did not ignite.

The FBI statement adds that a “potential person of interest in this investigation is a Caucasian male, approximately 40 years of age, and balding. He may be driving a 2000 or older model dirty, white pick-up truck with paneling, a dark colored bed liner, open tailgate, and a missing or covered license plate.”

Read more at ThinkProgress.org.

WSSU Offensive Coordinator Leaves for University of Richmond

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WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Winston-Salem State University football’s, Steed Lobotzke, was named the new offensive coordinator at the University of Richmond this afternoon.

University of Richmond head football coach Danny Rocco announced that former Winston-Salem State and Wake Forest offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke has been hired as Spider football’s offensive coordinator Friday afternoon.

Richmond Spiders fell to the No. 6 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, 36-15, in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

Lobotzke, WSSU’s offensive coordinator, was at the helm of the WSSU offense in 2014 that led the CIAA in scoring at 35.7 points per game, and spearheaded the Ram offense that recorded eight-straight 400-plus yard games. WSSU made it to the CIAA Championship game, but were upset, 21-17 by Virginia State. Winston-Salem State ended the year with a 9-2 overall record, and No. 24 national ranking in the final American Football Coaches Association poll.

“Coach Lobotzke is a great coach and was always prepared”, said WSSU head coach, Kienus Boulware. “He is very professional person that was always fair to the players. He has the talent to coach successfully on any level of football”, added Boulware.

“We will look to find his replacement as soon as possible, and we wish him the best of luck at Richmond”, says Boulware.

Texas Southern Stays Unbeaten With Win Over Southern

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Baton, Rouge, La. – Chris Thomas made a tie-breaking free throw with 0.7 seconds left to give Texas Southern a 59-58 victory against Southern on Monday night in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.
The score was tied and Texas Southern was playing for the last shot when Christopher Hyder stole the ball and drove toward the Tigers basket. Madarious Gibbs came from behind and blocked Hyder’s layup. Thomas rebounded and was bumped by Southern’s Adrian Rodgers, and a foul was called as the final buzzer sounded.Deverelll Biggs led all scorers with 20 points for TSU (5-10,2-0).  Chriss Thomas added nine points and five rebounds.  Tre’Lun Banks led the Jaguars (4-12, 1-1) with 16 points.  Keith Davis and Rogers scored 13 and 11 points respectively.
After reviewing the play, the officials ruled that the foul came with 0.7 seconds left. Thomas made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second, so the Jaguars rebounded and called timeout.
Southern inbounded with 0.5 seconds left with a long pass to Rodgers, who caught the ball, turned and made a three pointer. But another replay review showed he released the ball after the buzzer, giving Texas Southern the victory.

Alcorn State’s Luther Riley Taking Personal Leave of Absence

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Alcorn State basketball coach Luther Riley is taking a personal leave of absence. He expects to return to coaching this season.

“It’s dealing with myself,” Riley said. “It’s kind of evaluate some things. And I don’t have a definite date, but of course I’d love to be on the sideline and coaching, but I also just got to take care of what needs to be taken care of.”

“It had nothing to do with Alcorn, it had nothing to do with my team. It’s a personal leave of absence that’s directly relegated to me,” Riley said. “I appreciate the administration. It happened at a tough time (in the season), but, you know, things happen.”

The former Provine coach is in his fourth year with the Braves (2-12, 1-1 SWAC) and missed the last few games.

The school released a statement: “Assistant men’s basketball coach Shawn Pepp will lead the Alcorn Braves during coach Luther Riley’s leave of absence.”

The Braves are coming off a 68-62 win over Prairie View A&M and visit in-state rival Jackson State on Saturday (5 pm.).

“They (the team) understand that things happen,” Riley said. “They accepted it… But certainly it’s not easy. It’s not easy. But you have to do what you have to do at the time.”

Follow @rosdumlao on Twitter.

Referenced http://www.clarionledger.com/story/jacksonstatesports/2015/01/06/alcorn-state-luther-riley-taking-personal-leave-of-absence/21352747/
Posted by HBCU Editors Posted on 5782 articles