[San Pedro, CA.]
Roger Worthington of Worthington & Caron, PC announced today he is
donating $100,000 to the Pacific Meso Center (PMC) in Los Angeles, California to help continue their
research on the use of modified stem cells to treat patients stricken with
malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos.
“I continue to be amazed by the cutting edge and brilliant
research being done by the PMC,” said Mr. Worthington, who has been
representing asbestos cancer patients for 25 years.
“With the encouragement of Scientific Advisor, Dr. Robert Cameron, the PMC has been working on an exciting project that is exploring the
potential for treating meso patients with modified stem cells from discarded
placentas. It’s tougher than ever these
days for scientists to fund research on rare diseases and I’m pleased to help.”
In a nutshell, PMC’s “mesenchymal stem cell program” works
like this. Stems cells are harvested from discarded placentas, modified with
immunological agents, and put into a “spheroid” model to test how changes to
the tumor environment in the chest can ally with the body’s natural defenses to
destroy tumor cells after surgery.
“The goal is to inject the modified stem cells, which the
body doesn't readily reject, into the chest cavity after surgery, “explained
Dr. Cameron, a world renown thoracic surgeon at UCLA Medical School. “If the therapy ‘takes,’ then the body can
destroy the mesothelioma cells that remain in the chest after a successful
surgery, and the patient can avoid chemotherapy and radiation. “
Currently, even with the best surgical technique, after
surgery the chest cavity is blanketed with microscopic tumor cells. As a
result, the question is not so much whether the tumor will recur, but when. To
prolong the date of recurrence, patients are forced to endure
often-debilitating radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
Over the past 12 years, Worthington has supported a number
of treatment- related projects, including immunotherapy, interferon alpha
maintenance therapy, cryoablation and Interleukin (IL-4) immunotoxin therapy.
“The goal has always been to give mesothelioma patients more
treatment options,” said Worthington. “But the reality is to truly take a whack
at mesothelioma, it’s going to take a lot more public and private funding. I
hope my donation can encourage other lawyers, as well as everyone involved with
this disease, to give back as well.”
For more information about the Pacific Mesothelioma Center, please click
on www.phlbi.org/divisions/lung-disease/pacific-meso-center.
Roger Worthington, Esq. can be reached via www.mesothel.com or by phone at
800.831.9399.
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