Dr. Michael Har-Noy Says Weakened Immunity is NOT the Reason Cancer Occurs

Dr. Michael Har-Noy of Immunovative Therapies, an Israeli biotech company founded in 2004, says that the idea that cancer occurs because of weakened immunity is erroneous and misguided. 

Dr. Michael Har-Noy explains that when a normal cell grows into a cancer cell, changes in the display of surface antigens give rise to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) that could be detected by one’s immune system.  In 1909,Ehrlich first theorized  that a person’s own immunity protected them from cancer, an idea that was promoted in the 1950s by Lewis Thomas and later by Sir Macfarlane Burnet, who theorized that a patient’s immune cells had a “surveillance” system that identified and killed precancerous and cancerous cells.  Dr. Michael Har-Noy indicates that this hypothesis was based on the idea that cancer cells continually form in a person’s body and that their immune system must identify and kill cells that express surface TAAs

This hypothesis goes on to state that in instances where the patient’s immunity is compromised, the surveillance system is then disabled, and the cancer cells grow unchecked and clinical disease occurs. Dr. Michael Har-Noy says that this is the idea behind the notion that in cancer, the patient’s immune system is weakened, and that it must be reinforced to effectively attack the cancer cells.

Dr. Michael Har-Noy goes on to indicate that there is much evidence contradicting this theory. While a minority of the more unusual cancers develop in immune compromised patients, most malignant tumors arise in individuals with intact immunity.  Also, many tumors, especially epithelial cell cancers, have a significant number of inflammatory cells. This includes an array of leukocyte infiltrates consisting of neutrophils, macrophages, mast cells, eosinophils, often in the presence of lymphocytes. Dr. Michael Har-Noy points out that malignant tumors are usually profusely infiltrated with immune cells, which contradicts the hypothesis of deficient immune recognition of TAAs.

Additionally, many previous efforts to augment the immune response resulted in faster growth rather than slower growth of the cancer. For example, in mice, a newly formed cancer of combined mesenchymal and epithelial origin grows more quickly of it stimulates a response from the patient’s immune cells.  Dr. Michael Har-Noy indicates that cancers that stimulate a significant immune response will often, if left undisturbed, grow more quickly than those that do not trigger the patient’s immunity.  So, the notion that cancers are “invisible” to the patient’s immune cells and that the patient’s immune response needs to be enhanced appears to be wrong.

Dr. Michael Har-Noy concludes that the issue may be that the patient’s immune reaction to the cancer is the incorrect type of response.  Therefore, by attempting to augment an immune response that has already failed to protect the patient against malignancies, tumor propagation may be sped up rather than slowed.  This is likely the reason that most immune cancer therapies to date have been ineffective.

Source:  http://www.immunovative.co.il

Dr. Michael Har-Noy Describes the “Mirror EffectTM” – A New Concept In Cancer Treatment

Dr. Michael Har-Noy, founder and CEO of Immunovative Therapies Ltd., describes the “Mirror Effect™” as an immunologic concept that addresses the problem of separating the curative graft versus tumor (GVT) mechanism from the disastrous graft versus host disease (GVHD) complication of bone marrow transplant (BMT) procedures.

Immunovative Therapies’ solution was to formulate a T-cell infusion that would mirror the immune mechanisms mediated by the transplanted donor immune system to instead be controlled by the patient’s own immune cells. Dr. Michael Har-Noy has named this concept the Mirror Effect™ and says it was designed to produce the same anti-tumor effect that has been shown to be curative in allogeneic bone marrow transplant procedures but without life-threatening toxicity.

In the Mirror Effect™, the direction of the closely related GVT and GVHD effects that stem from the infused graft are reversed or “mirrored” so that they originate from the host instead, thereby mediating a host versus tumor (HVT) response coupled to the non-toxic host versus graft (HVG) rejection effect.

To produce the Mirror Effect™, T-cells from a normal person are given to a patient and instead of these infused cells initiating a GVT effect, they stimulate the patient's own immune system to attack the cancer (HVT effect) and create a highly inflammatory environment which neutralizes tumor immunoavoidance mechanisms.

Dr. Michael Har-Noy goes on to say that because the HVT response must be coupled to a HVG rejection, the patient in these instances is not pre-treated by immunosuppressive chemotherapy and therefore has an intact immune system that can mount a response to reject the normal donor T-cells. Also, because rejection of the graft (HVG) is the desired outcome, it is preferable if the donor cells are mismatched to the patient. This is a crucial improvement over allogeneic BMT procedures where only one in three recipient patients has a related donor that is suitable.

The “Mirror Effect^TM” therefore involves infusion of mismatched donor cells into a cancer patient that has not received any previous chemotherapy so that these infused allogeneic donor cells are rejected by the patient’s immune system. This HVG effect is the “mirror” of the lethal GVHD response but is not toxic. The HVG rejection then initiates host-mediated tumor destruction (HVT), which is the “mirror” of the GVT effect. The “mirror” effect is therefore capable of imitating the beneficial GVT effect of allogeneic BMT while at the same time avoiding the catastrophic GVHD toxicity.

The “Mirror Effect^TM” has the potential to create an entire new field of oncology.

Source: http://www.eurekaselect.com/105721/article

Dr. Michael Har-Noy Says Cancer Is NOT A Disease of Weakened Immunity

Dr. Michael Har-Noy of Immunovative Therapies, a biotech company founded in Israel in 2004, says that a common misconception is that cancer is a disease of the weakened immune system.

Dr. Michael Har-Noy explains that when a normal cell becomes a tumor cell, changes occurring in the expression of surface antigens give rise to tumor associated antigens (TAAs) that theoretically could be detected by one’s immune system. Ehrlich, in 1909, first proposed that one’s immune system protected against cancer, a concept adapted in the 1950s by Lewis Thomas and then later by Sir Macfarlane Burnet, who proposed that a patient’s immune system had a “surveillance” mechanism for tracking down and killing precancerous and cancerous cells. The basis of this hypothesis is that tumors constantly arise in one’s body and that one’s immune system must recognize and destroy cells that have TAAs on their surface.

This theory goes on to predict that in cases where the patient’s immune system is suppressed, the surveillance mechanism is then compromised, and the cancer cells grow out of control and clinical disease becomes detectable. This is the theory behind the concept that the patient’s immune system in cancer cases is weak, and that this immune system must be reinforced to attack the cancer effectively.

Dr. Michael Har-Noy and Immunovative Theories believe that there is, however much evidence to the contrary. While a small number of the rarer cancers occur in immune compromised individuals, most human malignant tumors are found in patients with intact immune systems. Also, many cancers, especially epithelial cell tumors, have a significant component of inflammatory cells. This includes diverse leukocyte infiltrates of macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells, frequently in the presence of lymphocytes. Malignant tumors are typically densely infiltrated with immune cells, which argues against inadequate immune system recognition of TAAs.

Furthermore, many previous attempts to bolster the normal immune response enhanced rather than suppressed growth of the cancer. For example, in mice, a newly induced tumor of both mesenchymal and epithelial origin grows faster if it precipitates a reaction from the patient’s immune system. Highly immunogenic cancers left undisturbed in their original hosts often grow faster than tumors that stimulate little or no immune response. Therefore, the idea that tumors are “invisible” to the patient’s immune system and that this immune system needs to be augmented appears to be incorrect.

The problem may be that the patient’s immune response to the tumor is the wrong kind of response. Dr. Michael Har-Noy and his team at Immunovative Theories believe that in attempting to boost an immunologic response that has already failed to protect the patient against cancer, tumor growth may be enhanced rather than suppressed. This is probably why most immunologic cancer treatments to date have been ineffective.

Source: http://www.agiftforlife.us/download/agreement_reuven.pdf