Quote of the Day: “I dream of a world where none will be so poor they have nothing to give and none will be so rich they have nothing to receive.” – John Paul II
Photo: by Stanley Zimny– CC license on Flickr, cropped
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Reverend Gilbert and Grace Caldwell were overjoyed about tying the knot 60 years ago. They were then immediately heartbroken, however, by the honeymoon that followed.
Back in 1957, the Caldwells got married at a church in North Carolina before driving eight hours to the Mount Airy Resort in Poconos, Pennsylvania for their honeymoon.
Despite having a reservation, the happy couple was forced to drive eight hours back home after they were turned away from the hotel for being black.
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The incident spurred the Caldwells to join the civil rights movement where they worked side-by-side with Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. In the decades that followed, Grace and Gilbert continued giving speeches and lectures to schools and organizations about their experience with racial injustice.
But when they told the story of their honeymoon to the New Jersey fifth graders at Bear Tavern Elementary back in January 2018, the kids became especially saddened by the tale.
WATCH: Adorable Preschool “Twins” Take a Stand Against Discrimination
Months after seeing the Caldwells speak at the school, all of the fifth graders banded together and wrote letters to the Mount Airy Hotel asking for an all-expenses-paid second honeymoon—and their wish was granted.
“It makes me feel really good inside because we know that even though we’re just kids, we made an impact on the world,” one student told CBS News.
(WATCH the heartwarming video below) – Note: International viewers can watch the full video on the CBS News website.
Click To Share The Compassionate Story With Your Friends – Photo by CBS News
This intriguing new study is the first to report evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin may lessen the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on lung function.
The researchers analyzed a subset of data collected from a cohort of 2,280 male veterans from the greater Boston area who were given tests to determine their lung function. The average age of participants was 73 years. The researchers examined the relationship between test results, self-reported NSAID use, and ambient particulate matter (PM) and black carbon in the month preceding the test, while accounting for a variety of factors, including the health status of the subject and whether or not he was a smoker.
They found that the use of any NSAID nearly halved of the effect of PM on lung function, with the association consistent across all four weekly air pollution measurements from same-day to 28 days prior to the lung function test.
Because most of the people in the study cohort who took NSAIDs used aspirin, the researchers say the modifying effect they observed was mainly from aspirin, but add that effects of non-aspirin NSAIDs are worthy of further exploration.
While the mechanism is unknown, the researchers speculate that NSAIDs mitigate inflammation brought about by air pollution.
The team of researchers from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston University School of Medicine published their findings in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
“Our findings suggest that aspirin and other NSAIDs may protect the lungs from short-term spikes in air pollution,” says first and corresponding author Xu Gao, PhD, a post-doctoral research scientist. “Of course, it is still important to minimize our exposure to air pollution, which is linked to a host of adverse health effects, from cancer to cardiovascular disease.”
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“While environmental policies have made considerable progress toward reducing our overall exposure to air pollution, even in places with low levels of air pollution, short-term spikes are still commonplace,” says senior author Andrea Baccarelli, chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School. “For this reason, it is important to identify means to minimize those harms.”
An earlier study by Baccarelli found that B vitamins may also play a role in reducing the health impact of air pollution.
Reprinted from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health
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A Canadian tourist has made quite a good impression on art enthusiasts since he photographed a cloudy sky that looked like something out of a Vincent van Gogh painting.
31-year-old oncologist Doron Berlin was on holiday in Belgium in July when he looked up to see swirling clouds of blue and grey set against the brilliant sun and spires of the Belfry Bell Tower of Bruges.
The scene looked breathtakingly similar to Van Gogh’s 19th-century masterpiece The Starry Night—so he snapped a photo of the “magical and beautiful” sky.
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“The clouds were particularly striking, and the effect of the sun shining into the camera created a very interesting vortex-type look,” Berlin mused. “That, mixed with the amazing architecture in Bruges and good lighting all came together for a great oil-on-canvas feel.
“The cloudy sky really did look like a work of Van Gogh, and it makes you wonder if this is the type of thing that inspired him,” he added.
Post-impressionist artist Van Gogh painted The Starry Night in June 1889, inspired by the view from his French asylum room in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Scientists at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Museum of Modern Art in New York determined the sky was painted with ultramarine and cobalt blue, while the moon was painted with Indian yellow together with zinc yellow.
Starstruck? Be Sure And Share The Story With Your Fellow Art Lovers On Social Media…
For the first time in history, conservationists have collected trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for recycling.
After one year of testing, The Ocean Cleanup organization announced this week that their System 001/B vessel is successfully capturing and collecting plastic debris.
The self-contained system uses the natural forces of the ocean to passively catch and concentrate plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, thereby confirming the most important principle behind the cleanup concept that was first presented by Boyan Slat back in October 2012.
The patch is a massive island of trash drifting halfway between California and Hawaii. Over a trillion pieces of debris have collected there because of the swirling vortex of current—a floating mass roughly twice the size of Texas.
After discovering the patch in the 90s, scientists said it would take thousands of years to clean it up—but Slat quickly made a name for himself after he presented a TEDx talk in which he claimed that he could do it in less than ten, if he could get his special machinery built.
Though his claim caused many skeptics to raise their eyebrows, Slat dropped out of college so he could bring his plans to life. In addition to crowdfunding $2.2 million for his idea, he garnered millions more dollars through interested investors.
Now, the System 001/B vessel—which launched from Vancouver in June—is The Ocean Cleanup’s second attempt to prove its concept of collecting garbage from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In addition to collecting plainly visible pieces of plastic debris, as well as much larger ghost nets associated with commercial fishing, System 001/B has also successfully captured microplastics as small as 1 millimeter—a feat which the organization was pleasantly surprised to achieve.
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“After beginning this journey seven years ago, this first year of testing in the unforgivable environment of the high seas strongly indicates that our vision is attainable and that the beginning of our mission to rid the ocean of plastic garbage, which has accumulated for decades, is within our sights,” said Slat.
“Our team has remained steadfast in its determination to solve immense technical challenges to arrive at this point. Though we still have much more work to do, I am eternally grateful for the team’s commitment and dedication to the mission and look forward to continuing to the next phase of development.”
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Despite the early success of System 001/B, there is still much work to do. With new learnings and experience derived from the successful deployment of System 001/B, The Ocean Cleanup will now begin to design its next ocean cleanup system, System 002; a full-scale cleanup system that is able to both endure and retain the collected plastic for long periods of time.
Once fully operational, The Ocean Cleanup will return plastic to land for recycling. The timing of that phase of the mission is contingent upon further testing and design iteration.
(WATCH the news coverage below)
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Despite spending years of his life as a fisherman, Paul Swanson has found a new purpose in casting his line for a different kind of catch.
The fisherman from Spokane, Washington is the founder of the H2O Magnet Fortunes club: a magnet fishing group dedicated to collecting rusty scrap metal from the Spokane River.
When asked why he started the organization, Swanson simply told KXLY: “I got bored.”
“Doctor pretty much said ‘you need to change your game plan of life,’” he continued. “Couldn’t fish no more, hardly. It was hard to do, tying on the lines and stuff, so I decided to create a little magnet fishing love here in Spokane.”
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Since the club began hoarding all of their scrap in mid-June, they collectively salvaged 11,100 pounds of metal, all of which they sold to a recycling company this week so they could donate the proceeds to SOAR, a caregiving organization for children with autism.
Ordinarily, processed iron sells for $80 per ton—but the staffers at Pacific Steel and Recycling were so touched by the group’s mission, they doubled the price of their original offer to help with the donation.
Swanson is now attempting to contact Guinness World Records about setting the world record for the most amount of scrap metal collected by a magnet fishing club.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by KXLY
We Aren’t Fishing For Compliments, But You Should Definitely Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year… and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Photo: by Michelle Hyacinth – CC license on Flickr, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
TripAdvisor and their subsidiaries have just announced that they are ending commercial relationships with facilities that breed or import captive whales, porpoises, and dolphins.
More specifically, the travel platform says that they will no longer sell tickets to, or generate revenue from, any attraction that continues to contribute to the captivity of future generations of cetaceans.
As a result, any commercial facility that either breeds or imports cetaceans for public display will be banned from sale on TripAdvisor and Viator. Products currently on sale and found to breach the new rules will be removed over the course of the next few months, with the policy in full force by the end of 2019. The new policy will not apply to seaside sanctuaries that provide care to cetaceans already in captivity.
The policy aims to drive captivity industry towards seaside sanctuaries as an alternative environment for current generation of captive whales and dolphins.
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The decision follows an extensive consultation process with a range of experts, including marine biologists, zoologists and conservationists, and considered the scientific evidence and arguments presented from all sides. It also continues TripAdvisor’s commitment to improving the welfare of animals globally, particularly animals in tourism, since they passed their animal welfare policy in 2016.
“The extensive evidence presented to us by the experts was compelling. Whales and dolphins do not thrive in limited captive environments, and we hope to see a future where they live as they should—free and in the wild,” commented Dermot Halpin, President, TripAdvisor Experiences and Rentals. “We believe the current generation of whales and dolphins in captivity should be the last, and we look forward to seeing this position adopted more widely throughout the travel industry.”
Conservation groups and animal welfare experts welcomed the move as an important step forward.
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“TripAdvisor is on the right side of history,” said Dr. Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute. “Whales and dolphins cannot thrive in captivity and enlightened tourists no longer tolerate exploiting these intelligent and socially complex marine predators for human entertainment.”
That being said, TripAdvisor’s policy extension also takes into account that while it is possible to prevent future generations of cetaceans from a life of captivity, the situation is different for those already in captivity. For most of the current population of cetaceans, release into the wild is not a realistic option. Therefore, the policy includes several stipulations aimed at protecting the needs, safety and health of cetaceans currently in captivity, too.
“Our aim is not only to prevent future generations of whales and dolphins from being raised in captivity, but also to encourage the industry to move towards alternative models, like seaside sanctuaries, that will better provide for the needs of the current captive population,” added Dermot Halpin, President of TripAdvisor Experiences and Rentals. “Seaside sanctuaries have enormous potential, but they need more backing from the tourism industry. As long as facilities with captive whales and dolphins continue to profit from keeping these animals in smaller, cheaper and less natural living environments, then they don’t have enough incentive to adopt serious change. We hope our announcement today can help turn the tide.”
Be Sure And Share The News With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by scooby12353, CC
This rescue story from Roseville, California sounds like something straight out of a Nancy Drew novel.
This tenacious team of kids is responsible for the rescue of 97-year-old Glenneta Belford, a non-verbal woman with dementia who went missing from her home on Monday evening.
Upon learning about her disappearance, the Roseville Police Department made a social media post about Belford in hopes that community members may be able to find the missing senior.
To their surprise, Belford was found by none other than five “junior detectives” who had spent their evening searching for the woman on their bicycles after they learned of her disappearance.
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After they finally managed to find her, the youngsters called the police department and reported her location.
“As it turns out, they were the team to locate the missing 97-year-old,” wrote the Roseville Police Department Facebook page. “Our surprised dispatchers took the initial call from this team of junior detectives which helped connect officers to the missing person.
“This is a great example of our exceptional community coming together to lend a helping hand. This proves a great point, age is just a number and anyone can help out in a time of need.”
Be Sure And Share The Sweet Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
Living close to the sea could support better mental health in England’s poorest urban communities.
According to a new study published today in the journal Health and Place, researchers from the University of Exeter used survey data from nearly 26,000 respondents in their analysis, which marks one of the most detailed investigations ever into the wellbeing effects of being beside the sea.
After taking other related factors into account, the study revealed that living in large towns and cities near to England’s coastline is linked with better mental health for those in the lowest earning households.
Approximately one in six adults in England suffer from mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, and these are far more likely in people from poorer backgrounds. The findings suggest that access to the coast could help to reduce these health inequalities in towns and cities close to the sea.
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The research used data from the Health Survey for England and compared people’s health to their proximity to the coast; from those living less than 1 kilometer away, to those more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) away. Its findings add to the growing evidence that access to blue spaces—particularly coastal environments—might improve health and wellbeing.
Dr Jo Garrett led the study and believes the results could have important implications, she said: “Our research suggests, for the first time, that people in poorer households living close to the coast experience fewer symptoms of mental health disorders. When it comes to mental health, this ‘protective’ zone could play a useful role in helping to level the playing field between those on high and low income.”
The report represents the first time the benefits of coastal living have been demonstrated at such a detailed level according to income, and comes as Natural England prepares to open access to all of England’s Coast Path by 2020. With everywhere in England within 70 miles of the sea, more people could harness the wellbeing benefits of living near to the coast thanks to improved access.
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Dr. Mathew White, environmental psychologist at the University of Exeter, said: “This kind of research into blue health is vital to convincing governments to protect, create and encourage the use of coastal spaces. We need to help policy makers understand how to maximize the wellbeing benefits of ‘blue’ spaces in towns and cities and ensure that access is fair and inclusive for everyone, while not damaging our fragile coastal environments.”
This work is part of the BlueHealth project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.
Reprinted from the University of Exeter
It’s Not Hard To Sea That You Should Share The News With Your Friends On Social Media…
It has always been a tradition for customers at the Siesta Oyster Bar to contribute to the restaurant’s decor by attaching dollar bills to the wall.
However, the staffers have been working tirelessly over the course of the last month to remove the makeshift wallpaper so they can donate it all to hurricane relief in the Bahamas.
Since Hurricane Dorian blew through the islands last month, the staffers have collectively taken down over $15,000 in dollar bills.
It’s apparently taken a lot of hard work to gently remove all of the “hardcore staples” from the wall without hurting the money, but the employees say that they have successfully removed about 90% of the bills.
Not only that, general manager Kristin Hale told Weather.com that other customers have been inspired to make additional donations of their own.
“They come in and see what we’re going and give us a $20 bill … or a $10 or a $5,” she told the news outlet.
The bar also helped to raise another $10,000 by holding a collaborative fundraiser with some of the other local businesses in Siesta Key Village earlier this month.
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Quote of the Day: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi (born 150 years ago today)
Photo: by sanchantr – CC license on Flickr, cropped
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Happy 95th birthday, President Carter! We can’t wait to see you next week in Nashville for the 36th Carter Work Project. 🏠 #HabitatCWP pic.twitter.com/8DWjVXgBeb
— Habitat for Humanity (@Habitat_org) October 1, 2019
Today is the 95th birthday of former US president Jimmy Carter—and despite how he has not served in office for almost four decades, he is still working tirelessly to improve the country.
Born on October 1st, 1924, Carter has now lived longer than any other US president in history. The title used to be held by the late George H.W. Bush before he passed away in November 2018 at 94 years and 171 days old.
Even though Carter made headlines back in March for surpassing Bush’s record at 94 years and 172 days old, this is not his first news appearance in the last few years.
Carter, who is also one of the few American presidents to have ever received the Nobel Peace Prize, was recently responsible for creating a new health clinic in a small town that had been without a physician for four months; he leased out a portion of his own property in order to launch a solar farm powering half of his hometown; and his charity has been a major contributor in making guinea worm the second disease to ever be eradicated.
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Additionally, Carter was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma in 2016—and even though he was undergoing treatment, he still spent his time building homes for the needy through Habitat for Humanity. Thankfully, his immunotherapy treatments proved to be successful and he was declared cancer-free several months later.
Carter and his wife Rosalynn have volunteered for the housing organization for 36 years, during which time they have helped build thousands of homes. Furthermore, they now plan on celebrating Mr. Carter’s birthday by attending yet another annual Habitat for Humanity construction event in Nashville next week.
“Both President and Mrs. Carter are determined to use their influence for as long as they can to make the world a better place. Their tireless resolve and heart have helped to improve life for millions of the world’s poorest people,” said a Carter Center spokesperson in a statement.
(WATCH Carter explain his passion for the project in the 2016 interview below)
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This Georgia woman is about to get her own superhero movie after she came to the rescue of a doe in distress—not once, but twice in just a matter of minutes.
Chloe Dorsey had been out for a morning jog in Stone Mountain Park last week when she came across a deer that had gotten its hips stuck in between the bars of a metal fence.
Since she was unable to help the critter push through the rungs, Dorsey managed to pull the two poles apart so it could run free.
To Dorsey’s exasperation, however, the doe only ran several hundred more feet before it got stuck in between the bars of yet another fence.
“You need to learn how to jump, boo!” chides Dorsey as she hikes over to the doe once more. “What is gonna happen when I’m not here?”
When the second fence proves to be more difficult to pry apart, Dorsey becomes increasingly nervous about the deer’s fate—but she still continues to persevere.
After pulling at the bars several more times, millimeter by millimeter, Dorsey jumps over the fence—and although her landing may not have been the most graceful hurtle in history, it startles the deer just enough for it to successfully run away from the loosened fence poles.
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As the liberated doe rejoins the rest of the herd nearby, Dorsey jokingly yells after them: “Y’all need to show her how to jump!”
Since publishing the videos to social media, Dorsey has become an internet sensation. She also wrote that she was more than happy to help the distressed animal, although she explains that had only been cracking jokes about the deer’s plight out of anxiety for its freedom.
“The second time was more frightening than the first. We were both scared for each other…!” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m so happy I was at the right place at the right time!”
(WATCH the video below)
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In a continued effort to reduce European’s carbon footprint and make energy bills cheaper for consumers, the European Union has just passed groundbreaking new “right to repair” legislation for products such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and televisions.
Improving the eco-design of products contributes to implementing the “Energy efficiency first” principle of the EU’s Energy Union priority.
For the first time, the measures include requirements for repairability and recyclability, contributing to circular economy objectives by improving the life span, maintenance, re-use, upgrade, recyclability, and waste handling of appliances.
“Right to repair” legislation is becoming increasingly popular as consumers across North America and Europe have vocalized their frustration over household appliances breaking down shortly after their warranties expire. Since repairing broken appliances is usually more costly than replacing it, thousands of products are simply sent to the landfill.
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According to BBC, more than 20 US states are currently working on the approval of their own “right to repair” legislation—but now, the European Commission estimates that their two newly-approved measures, together with the energy labels adopted in March, will deliver 167 TWh of final energy savings per year by 2030.
This is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of Denmark and corresponds to a reduction of over 46 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. These measures are also expected to save European households €150 ($163) per year on average.
These savings come on top of those achieved by the existing eco-design and energy label requirements, which are expected to deliver yearly energy saving of around 150 Mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent) by 2020, roughly equivalent to the annual primary energy consumption of Italy. For consumers, this already means an average saving of up to €285 ($311) per year on their household energy bills.
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“Whether it is by fostering repairability or improving water consumption, intelligent eco-design makes us use our resources more efficiently, bringing clear economic and environmental benefits,” said European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen. “It is with concrete steps such as these that Europe as a whole is embracing the circular economy to the benefit of citizens, our environment and European businesses.”
Following today’s adoption, the legislation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union in the coming weeks and will enter into force 20 days later.
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Commenting on the adoption of the measures, Monique Goyens, Director general of the European Consumer Association, said: “The new repair requirements will help improve the lifetime of everyday appliances that currently fail too quickly. It is crucial we bin the current ‘throwaway’ trend, which depletes natural resources and empties consumers’ pockets.
“The EU has started with five products that most consumers own at home and we strongly encourage legislators to make more product categories repairable,” she added.
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A heartwarming new friendship has blossomed between two strangers thanks to a simple necktie bringing them together in a time of grief.
Kevin Butcher and his wife Sherri had been shopping for neckties at a Walmart in Milford, Ohio so he could wear it to his father’s funeral later in the week.
After they had picked out the proper attire, they both realized that neither of them knew how to tie a tie.
Kevin then noticed that one of his fellow shoppers, an older man who had been browsing some nearby toy shelves, was wearing a tie—so he approached the man and asked for help.
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“We both thought he might think we were crazy… but we were both so wrong,” Sherri later recounted on Facebook. “This sweet man did not hesitate when Kevin explained why he needed help and proceeded to put the tie around his neck. He joked with him about [how it] might take all day to get it right… but he was determined.”
“After a few tries of getting the right length, he gently pulled it back over Kevin’s head and thanked HIM for letting him do this!! He reached to shake hands with him and then pulled Kevin in close to hug him and tell him how sorry he was to hear about losing his dad.
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“He looked at me and said ‘take good care of him’ and he walked away,” Sherri continued. “Kevin and I both walked away quietly as we were both having a hard time fighting back the tears.”
Despite how touched they were by the emotional exchange, it would not be their last encounter with the man. After Sherri wrote about the experience on Facebook, local reporters were able to identify the man as Howell Hackler. They then orchestrated a tearful exchange between him and the Butchers the very next day.
“Meeting these two guys again—it’s great because I didn’t ever think I’d see [them] again,” Hackler told WKRC.
Several days later, the Butchers arrived at the funeral of Kevin’s father only to find that Hackler had stopped by to pay his respects and say a prayer for the family—and they were overwhelmed with gratitude for the support.
“There are just no words to explain how Kevin and I felt this morning,” Sherri wrote in a separate Facebook post. “This man is an absolute ANGEL on Earth!!!!”
Tie Your Friends Together With This Sweet Story By Sharing It To Social Media…
Kroger announces it is donating its old building in Orange Mound off Lamar & Airways to SuperLo. Donation worth about $500,000. SuperLo hopes to have the place operating by Dec.1 @3onyourside pic.twitter.com/1hgQPZOl0L
— Shay Arthur (@ShayA_WREG3) September 30, 2019
Rather than leave a community without a grocery store, the Kroger supermarket chain is donating one of their closed stores to a competing company.
After Kroger closed their Orange Mound location in Memphis, Tennessee back in February 2018, local residents were forced to travel to the Kroger location in Union, which can be a tedious 30-minute bus ride with groceries in hand, according to the Memphis Business Journal.
Community leaders then threatened to boycott the chain unless they were given another fully-serviced grocery store to suit their needs.
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WMC reporters say that shortly after Kroger representatives closed the location, they had tried to pass on the property to Superlo, a family-owned grocery store chain with several local branches in the city. Unfortunately, Superlo had just opened another branch in the city and they did not feel fiscally comfortable with opening yet another store.
After more than a year of financial preparation, however, Kroger representatives say that they are now donating the $500,000 facility to Superlo.
Superlo representatives say that they hope to have the store up and running again by December 1st.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by WATN
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Quote of the Day: “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Photo: by Jennifer 真泥佛 * Taiwan – CC license on Flickr, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
It has been only about five months since Dennis Bonifan tried to commit suicide—but now, he has found an unlikely new source of therapy in graffiti.
However, Bonifan isn’t the one responsible for spraypainting the streets; instead, he is taking it upon himself to clean up racist and hateful vandalism.
Bonifan, who suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, is the owner of B&D Powerwash and Painting Services in Swanton, Ohio.
He was first inspired to start volunteering his time and resources last week when he saw a Facebook post about how someone had spraypainted several swastikas onto a nearby street.
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He then grabbed his powerwasher and erased the hateful graffiti free of charge—and he has continued to spend his free time after work cleaning up other offensive acts of vandalism around the city.
“It’s very rewarding to be able to do something and then put a smile on my face … it actually helps my mood a lot,” Bonifas told WTVG in the interview below.
If any Ohio residents know of any other areas of vandalism that are in need of attention, he is encouraging social media users to contact him via his company Facebook page.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by WTVG
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A new series of tests is now showing that this exciting blood test can screen for numerous types of cancer with a stunningly high degree of accuracy.
The test, developed by GRAIL, Inc., uses next-generation sequencing technology to probe DNA for tiny chemical tags (methylation) that influence whether genes are active or inactive.
When researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute applied the test to nearly 3,600 blood samples—some from patients with cancer, some from people who had not been diagnosed with cancer at the time of the blood draw—the test successfully picked up a cancer signal from the cancer patient samples, and correctly identified the tissue from where the cancer began (the tissue of origin).
The test’s specificity—its ability to return a positive result only when cancer is actually present—was high, as was its ability to pinpoint the organ or tissue of origin, researchers found.
The new test looks for DNA, which cancer cells shed into the bloodstream when they die. In contrast to “liquid biopsies,” which detect genetic mutations or other cancer-related alterations in DNA, the technology focuses on modifications to DNA known as methyl groups. Methyl groups are chemical units that can be attached to DNA, in a process called methylation, to control which genes are “on” and which are “off.” Abnormal patterns of methylation turn out to be, in many cases, more indicative of cancer—and cancer type—than mutations are. The new test zeroes in on portions of the genome where abnormal methylation patterns are found in cancer cells.
“Our previous work indicated that methylation-based assays outperform traditional DNA-sequencing approaches to detecting multiple forms of cancer in blood samples,” said the study’s lead author, Geoffrey Oxnard of Dana-Farber. “The results of the new study demonstrate that such assays are a feasible way of screening people for cancer.”
In the study, investigators analyzed cell-free DNA (DNA that had once been confined to cells but had entered the bloodstream upon the cells’ death) in 3,583 blood samples, including 1,530 from patients diagnosed with cancer and 2,053 from people without cancer. The patient samples comprised more than 20 types of cancer, including hormone receptor-negative breast, colorectal, esophageal, gallbladder, gastric, head and neck, lung, lymphoid leukemia, multiple myeloma, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer.
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The overall specificity was 99.4%, meaning only 0.6% of the results incorrectly indicated that cancer was present.
Furthermore, the sensitivity of the assay for detecting pre-specified high mortality cancers (the percent of blood samples from these patients that tested positive for cancer) was 76%. Within this group, the sensitivity was 32% for patients with stage I cancer; 76% for those with stage II; 85% for stage III; and 93% for stage IV. Sensitivity across all cancer types was 55%, with similar increases in detection by stage. For the 97% of samples that returned a tissue of origin result, the test correctly identified the organ or tissue of origin in 89% of cases.
Detecting even a modest percent of common cancers early could translate into many patients who may be able to receive more effective treatment if the test were in wide use, Oxnard remarked.
Dana-Farber investigators presented the results of the multi-center trial during a session at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2019 Congress earlier this week.
Reprinted from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
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