An excerpt from a January 2024 seminar by Dr. Gogna at the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, VCU:
Conference talk by Dr. Gogna at the 2024 Walter Lawrence Jr., MD Research Retreat, VCU:
We have discovered an archaic anticancer system in human body which runs parallel to the immune biology. Human body is gifted with a unique neighborhood watchdog protection system which functions locally in organs. Cancer intelligently defeats this system. Our groundbreaking publications discovered “Cell Fitness” and “Cell Competition” mechanisms which are abused by multiple cancers to grow in human organs.
Our research has identified the evolutionary character of cancer and distilled it to a simple concept of “war” between the bully and the victim. Cancer is an aggressor, a cellular bully which victimizes the host cells in the affected organ.
H&E staining of human colon cancer tissue demarcates tumor and host (stromal/tumor microenvironment) cells. “Competitive” and “Fit” cancer cells compete with less competitive cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) for space. Following competition, cancer cells outcompete and eliminate TME/stromal cells via apoptosis, creating space within which tumor cells can take over, resulting in tumor outgrowth at the expense of normal tissue (Madan et al, Nature, 2020).
We are well aware about fitness of the body and the mind. Our Nature paper discovered that every cell in the human body has its own fitness called “Cell Fitness”. Cells in any organ can identify the fitness of their neighbors. Based on this fitness, cells make a decision regarding their behavior with the neighbors. Unfit neighboring cells often suffer abuse and are killed. This process is important to maintain fit/ healthy cells in any organ.
Question is how cells sense the fitness of their neighbors? Our decade long research identified a unique code present on the surface of human cells in every organ. This code is available as a fitness fingerprint on cell surface. Healthy, vibrant cells possesses a fitness fingerprint which is molecularly different than the fingerprint on the beleaguered cells.
Cancer cells are evolutionarily programmed to abuse this system as they project power of high fitness to neighboring host cells. Cancer cells are evil, they not only project high fitness to neighbors but also send specific signals designed to weaken the fitness of neighboring host cells. Host cells succumb to this bullying and present the space and nutrients to the juggernaut of highly competent and fit cancer cells.
Therapeutic applications of the fitness fingerprint
The Flower monoclonal antibody therapy, discovered and patented by our team, targets flower fitness fingerprints, stops the bullying by cancer cells and protects victimization of human host cells. Fitness fingerprint therapy provides power to the host cells to fight against cancer. This therapy creates a cage around cancer cells and promotes chemotherapy efficacy. In pre-clinical models of Ovarian, Breast, Colon, Liver, Prostate and Pancreatic cancers, Fitness fingerprint therapy provides groundbreaking anticancer results which beat the performance of standard of care therapies without the associated toxicity.
To learn more and request access contact Gogna lab.