Research reveals growing success of sprayable gel solution in cancer treatment

UCLA researchers developed a gel-forming sprayable solution that can prevent cancer cells from regrowing after surgical removal.

Zhen Gu, a bioengineering professor, and other senior researchers at universities in the U.S. and China published their results earlier this month in Nature Nanotechnology, a scientific journal. The researchers tested the solution on mice with cancer and found that about 50 percent of the mice treated by the new method did not develop resurgent cancer cells after having their cancer surgically removed.

The new system is comprised of a gel-forming solution, the drug CD47 antibody and the nanoparticle carrier of the drug. Researchers have used each of the components individually in the past to treat cancer.

“But when you combine them all together, they become quite novel,” Gu said.

Gu said the most distinctive part of the delivery system was the use of the sprayer. Guojun Chen, a postdoctoral fellow and co-author of the paper, said Gu first thought to use a sprayer after observing a foam spray bottle commonly used during some Chinese festivals.

Qian Chen, postdoctoral fellow and first author, said they began using the current method of turning the solution to gel last year.

“We tried polymers at first before we switched to protein-based method,” she said. “The polymer is too thick for the spray.”

After a cancer is surgically removed, the solution is sprayed directly onto the surgical site and forms a gel layer to cover the wounds, promoting healing while releasing the CD47 antibody. The solution suppresses any recurring cancer cells at the surgical site. The immune cells at the surgical site are trained to identify cancer cells and can then spread to target cancers in other regions of the body.

The sprayer uses two containers, both with a base which creates the same pH level as the human body. One container carries enzymes that facilitate gel formation while the other container holds nanoparticle carriers of the drug.

Gu said droplets from a sprayer are more homogeneous, giving the researchers better control of drug delivery compared to the traditional delivery method of a premixed syringe.

The nanoparticle carrier calcium carbonate, which is a natural component of human bones, dissolves at and neutralizes the slightly acidic surgical site. The carrier also releases the CD47 antibody in the process. The nanoparticle itself also promotes the activity of macrophages that devour foreign objects in the body as a part of the immune response.

The anti-CD47 antibody inhibits the “don’t eat me”signal released by the CD47 protein of cancer cells to allow the body’s immune system to successfully identify and attack cancer cells.

As some normal body cells also use the CD47 protein to identify themselves to the immune system, the traditional method of delivering the CD47 antibody by injection can cause the immune system to attack various body cells, leading to side effects such as severe tiredness.

The localized nature of the new spray droplets delivery system would minimize such side effects. The system also trains T cells, a type of cell of the immune system that discriminates foreign bodies from human body cells, to recognize signatures of the cancerous cell at the surgical site. The T cells would then diffuse throughout the body to holistically target cancer cells in other areas.

The researchers confirmed the effectiveness of this holistic treatment by observing mice with cancers at two different sites on the body and surgically removing the cancer in one of the sites. They applied the spray on the surgical site while keeping the other cancer untreated. Results showed that the untreated cancer was also inhibited by the trained T cells from the treated surgical site.

Furthermore, Gu said the new system provides great practical value because of the simplicity and versatility of the spray.

“The system could be a platform technology and we can use it to deliver other therapeutic drugs … such as bone regeneration and teeth refilling,” he said.

As the spray delivery system is proven to be functional in mice experiments, Gu plans to conduct studies on large mammals and eventually on human subjects before releasing the spray for clinical use.

New Beatles course discusses band’s impact on music industry with guest speakers

David Leaf is teaching a course on what he said he thinks is the new era of classical music: the Beatles.

The Herb Alpert School of Music is offering the new course this quarter. The course, titled “Music Industry 188: The Reel Beatles,” will analyze the chronological progression of the band’s career during the 1960s. Lectures will feature guest speakers with personal or professional connections to the band.

The course is formatted like a talk show, with an opening monologue and an interview with a different guest speaker each class. Students will view around 70 hours of media as homework over the course of the quarter. Leaf, an adjunct assistant professor of music industry in the school of music, will then share his thoughts on the material at the start of each class.

“My goal is to inspire students to look beyond the fact that the Beatles wrote and recorded more great songs than anybody in history and understand the enormous sociocultural (and) political impact that they had, for better or for worse, on my generation and how what they did is still relevant today,” he said.

One upcoming guest, Peter Asher, hosted Paul McCartney in his family home during their rise to fame in England in 1963, and will tell students about the time when McCartney and John Lennon played him the demo of “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Asher and musician Gordon Waller went on to record “A World Without Love,” a song written by McCartney and Lennon that became a No. 1 hit for their band Peter and Gordon.

Leaf said he thinks students will be surprised to discover the Beatles’ lasting impact on the music industry.

“We saw what was really a boy band become one of the most innovative and influential and experimental acts in music,” he said. “The only way you can see how they revolutionized the music industry is to look at how they presented themselves to the world and how the world presented them.”

Leaf said his interest in the Beatles started in 1963 but grew the following year when the Beatles’ music arrived in the U.S.

“In my lifetime, the Beatles have been if not the most important musical experience, certainly in the top three of what mattered to me when I was young and what still matters to me,” Leaf said. “There is a sense that the Beatles still matter in the way that Mozart still matters or Gershwin still matters.”

Leaf has collaborated with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono on various projects throughout his career, including the documentary “The U.S. vs. John Lennon.” Despite this, he said he feels that it is difficult to get a sense of the Beatles’ impact through talking to the members of the band because he thinks they do not fully grasp the magnitude of their influence.

Ben Schecter, a second-year theater student, said he enjoys the class’ unconventional lecture style.

“It’s a good change of pace,” he said. “It’s more exciting. … There’s an air of theatricality to the whole thing.”

“The Reel Beatles” will be recorded and made available as an online course across the University of California in 2020, Leaf said.

Schecter, who also helps with recording the class, said he is excited to learn about such an iconic musical act through the course.

“They changed the way that we think about superstars and celebrity,” he said. “As someone who’s interested in working (in) the music industry, it’s really cool to see how international superstar groups and the cult of celebrity started.”

Patrick Gardner, a fourth-year psychology student, assists Leaf with the audio during guests’ performances as part of Leaf’s student-led production team. Gardner, who is also pursuing a minor in music industry, said he would recommend the class to anyone interested in the origins of the current music industry.

“Anybody can relate to the Beatles. Even though they’re from our parents’ or grandparents’ generations, we’ve all grown up with them and we can all connect to them,” Gardner said. “(Professor Leaf is) able to … concretely demonstrate that impact.”

Student hopes to weave sense of togetherness through piano project

A UCLA student installed public pianos around campus to foster community through music.

The UCLA Piano Project, lead by Jeremy Barrett, a fourth-year economics student, aims to bring together students through public pianos placed on the Hill and on campus. The three pianos were placed in front of Bruin Plate, in front of Covel Commons and in Luskin Conference Hall. The final piano will open on Bruin Walk on Jan. 30.

Barrett began the solo project in May 2017 after being encouraged by Chancellor Gene Block during his office hours. The project has since expanded to encompass over 40 UCLA staffers, from organizations such as Associated Students UCLA, the Healthy Campus Initiative and the Undergraduate Students Association Council.

“The coolest part has been working with such a loving staff,” Barrett said. “The staff I’ve been working with has such big hearts, and really want to make this happen for the school.”

Barrett said he is passionate about this project because he believes in the importance of face-to-face communication, which he hopes to foster through the project. He added his father would tell him stories about people spending time together in the ’60s and ’70s.

“Conversation was the best thing to do instead of iPhone games or Instagram,” Barrett said. “As an old-fashioned person, I thought it’d be a good idea to revive that at UCLA.”

Judith Smith, the dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music, said the school of music donated pianos to the project. The School has about 150 pianos that they periodically recycle.

“We often donate the pianos as we buy new ones,” Smith said. “I indicated to (Barrett) back in the fall that there would be pianos for his use.”

Students said they enjoy using the pianos because they bring together people who like music.

Sophia Wackerman, a first-year global jazz studies student, said she sees the piano project as a new way to make friends.

“Throughout my life I’ve always sort of had a magnetic pull to those who share a passion for music, and that kind of generated my own community of musician friends,” Wackerman said. “I think the piano project can definitely have the same effect since it’s an open invitation for people to share music with one another.”

Barrett said he hopes the project will not only entertain musicians, but also foster a sense of community on campus.

“It’s going to be a place where people can gather and create a place of family at UCLA. The main goal of the project is to build community through music,” Barrett said. “I want people to be happy here.”

Private counseling center in Westwood to supplement CAPS in long-term care

A new counseling and wellness center opened in Westwood to meet demand for student outpatient mental health services.

Acacia Counseling and Wellness moved into Westwood Village in late November, the company’s fifth location. Counseling and Psychological Services, UCLA’s on-campus mental health provider, refers students seeking long-term mental health treatment to private providers, like Acacia.

Psychologists Keith Higginbotham and Brett Donnelly co-founded the first center in Isla Vista, California in 2014 after working in college counseling centers like UCSB and seeing a large demand for private mental health service providers.

“We both experienced this kind of frustration working at UCSB, where there was such a demand for our services, so many clients coming in that there was a real need to refer students out, especially students that were going to need longer term treatment,” Higginbotham said. “But it was so difficult to do that for a number of reasons.”

Tenika Jackson, clinical director of the Westwood location, said Acacia aims to give students access to more long-term treatment. Unlike CAPS which limits the number of appointments students can make, Acacia can immediately book 50 sessions for a patient, Jackson said.

“That’s why we’re here in Westwood,” Jackson said. “We specifically set up an agreement with UCLA to service their students.”

Students said they have experienced delays with CAPS.

Hattie Bleeker, a first-year communication student, said she has had an overall positive experience with CAPS, but has experienced long wait times.

“Whenever I call, they’re really polite; they try to get you in,” Bleeker said. “The only thing is that if you want to see a psychiatrist sometimes it takes more time to get an appointment.”

Destiny Hernandez, a third-year neuroscience student, visited CAPS in October and was told she could not be seen until Jan. 25, 2019.

“CAPS did not refer me to any outside sources but if I would have known that there was something else, I would have liked to talk to them,” Hernandez said.

Representatives from CAPS declined to comment.

Acacia chose Westwood for its next location because many students in the area need more long-term therapy options off campus, Donnelly and Higginbotham said. They added that Acacia provides treatment to all students covered by UC Student Health Insurance Plan.

Acacia offers a sliding scale payment system for those who do not have insurance or are still struggling to pay. Higginbotham and Donnelly also started a nonprofit, Resources, Outreach and Outpatient Therapy for Students fund, to provide need-based assistance exclusively for student patients.

“The ROOTS fund will be available to college students on a needs basis,” Donnelly said. “We reward students money according to their FAFSA and their (expected family contribution), or they can write a statement explaining why, even if their EFC is high, they might need the funding.”

Donnelly said that to promote accessibility, Acacia tried to locate within in a half-mile radius of where students live. Acacia offers digital counseling as well for students unable to reach the physical location. Higginbotham added the main feedback received from students is to incorporate more technology into their services.

“(Students) can text and make an appointment, or text and cancel an appointment,” Higginbotham said. “They can use teletherapy and do video sessions over breaks, so when the student goes away for the summer back home, and some of those things can be very emotionally triggering for them, they know they have Acacia to fall back on.”

Donnelly added this also allows students to access more diverse clinicians remotely.

“Say a UCLA student really wants to speak to a transgender therapist that’s out of (La Jolla, California,) they can connect to them via teletherapy,” Donnelly said. “They can utilize a much more diverse therapist pool.”

Jackson added that due to high demand from students, Acacia is constantly hiring and trying to tailor the clinic to students’ needs.

Jackson said over 100 students were referred after less than two months of being open, and their staff has nearly doubled from six people to 11. She added other Acacia clinics took a year and a half to reach this number of referrals.

“The whole point is to constantly meet the needs of the student,” Jackson said. “(Higginbotham and Donnelly) said they wanted to come and fill in the gaps, and they will do what it takes to fill in the gaps.”

In the future, Higginbotham and Donnelly plan on expanding their services to more campuses, including possibly the University of Southern California, UC Irvine and California State University campuses.

A year after Skirball, UCLA still needs to improve emergency response procedures

UCLA gave students their own version of a finals dead week by allowing them to venture to class in hazardous air conditions during the Skirball fire.

More than a year later, little progress has been made to solidify a protocol for academic accommodations in emergencies.

The Skirball fire broke out in late 2017 just down the road from campus. Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a local state of emergency, fancy neighborhoods outside UCLA were evacuated and fire-related traffic shutdowns on the 405 prevented students and faculty from reaching campus. Students’ usual finals week stress doubled as these changes impacted their schedule and studying. Going outside wasn’t even an option for those with asthma or other respiratory and health problems.

Despite these red flags, UCLA did not officially cancel classes until more than 7,000 frustrated students signed a letter from the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s Academic Affairs Commission urging the Academic Senate to prioritize the safety of students. BruinAlert was a dismal reassurance in these times, only giving updates when health hazards had set in.

Whether students were frazzled in class or worried in their own rooms, they felt the administration was not taking their concerns seriously.

A year later, even more wildfires are wreaking havoc in California, and UCLA has seemed to make little progress in creating a streamlined protocol for communication and class cancellations when emergencies strike. Students deserve to know they will not be forced to sacrifice their physical and emotional well-being to attend class during a major emergency.

UCLA’s previous emergency responses have failed to take into account how students would get to class and how they would perform under duress. During the Skirball fire, the information provided was often vague and underwhelming. Students were unsure how to proceed normally when they were forced to make decisions based on a tweet-length update from administration.

“We drafted this letter demanding that class be cancelled from AAC because BruinAlert was where students get the most accurate information during these emergencies from, but we were frustrated that it just wasn’t coming fast enough,” said Nidirah Stephens, the USAC Academic Affairs commissioner.

Many were upset that UCLA did not seem to be taking their health and safety seriously. After all, UCLA cited that transportation delays were the cause behind the campuswide closure, not the fire hazard.

Even when news of the class cancellation came halfway through Dec. 7, 2017, faculty responses were inconsistent. Some told their students to stay inside, others couldn’t even get to school themselves and many insisted attendance was mandatory.

“Many of my friends and I were afraid of not coming to class and being penalized by professors, even though the freeway was closed for commuting students and air quality was hazardous,” said My Tran, a third-year sociology student. “Students and professors can’t learn or teach if their health is at risk.”

There is currently no consensus on when to cancel classes in emergencies or how students and faculty will make academic accommodations for these events. Emergency response guides consider physical precautions as long as students are on campus, but entirely ignore off-site dangers and the academic disadvantage Bruins face from not being able to attend class. The departmental emergency template has no mention of how to follow up with students impacted by emergency situations or how to help them readjust academically.

The AAC is in the process of proposing new terms for grading buffer zones, negotiable academic supplements and make-up materials to the Academic Senate, but this is not yet guaranteed policy. The Academic Senate needs to work efficiently in passing the AAC’s proposal to have these measures in place for the next campus emergency.

If passed, students will feel safer during emergencies: They’ll know that it won’t be left up to circumstance whether or not they’re forced to attend class and that health is a priority. Students will know they are not expected to sacrifice their grades for health and that the administration is putting them first if the Academic Senate approves academic accommodations.

UCLA spokesperson Katherine Alvarado said the process for making up lost days is done through consultation with the dean’s office and the Academic Senate, with the final decision being made by administrators.

Yet after every emergency, students receive no support from UCLA in readjusting to their classes. Having such extensive deliberations to allow students to make up lost days means accommodations, if any, arrive too late to fix things.

“I knew that I couldn’t go to class that day, but on top of the stress of finals, I felt even more unprepared and behind,” said Annabel Chen, a fourth-year political science and communication student. “Not all my professors were sympathetic about the situation and still expected everything turned in, as if nothing was going on.”

Alvarado said Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck established a working group of faculty and environmental experts to work on new procedures for future emergencies at UCLA and the other nine University of California campuses. He also recently was asked to help create guidelines for all the campuses regarding when to suspend campus activities and classes.

While it might be a step in the right direction, the Academic Senate needs to help students make up for lost class time. As much as we may all rejoice in waking up to a random class cancellation email, the reality is it creates a huge setback for both students and professors working on the quarter schedule, which already has a small margin of error.

Unless UCLA learns from its history of failed emergency responses and poor communication, students will continue to suffer and endure stress during these unpredictable circumstances.

Otherwise, it will be new year, same lagging UCLA emergency responses.

UCLA should diversify Writing II topics to engage with STEM students

Despite popular belief, students don’t just write in Haines and Bunche halls.

All UCLA students are required to take one Writing II class. These classes are designed to improve the proficiency of students’ writing skills for use throughout their academic careers.

While most students only take one, students looking to pursue higher education in the health and medical fields must take a whole year of college-level literature and composition, which can include multiple Writing II classes. Graduate schools don’t want to teach their students how to write; they are expected to come in already having the necessary skills.

No matter a student’s major or career aspirations, writing is crucial to cultivate at the college level so students are prepared for the future. Those with strong writing and verbal skills are the most successful in their jobs. Without a solid writing base, students will have a hard time transitioning into the workforce or presenting their research.

The current master list of Writing II classes boasts dozens of courses in a wide array of diverse topics, ranging from critical reading and writing to an analysis of Asian-American women. But almost none of the classes are on STEM topics. The ones offered are often incorporated into clusters, which students don’t really take to fulfill their Writing II requirements. Despite the benefits of Writing II courses, many STEM students end up seeing them as a burden due to the lack of variety.

The lack of diverse classes is something that needs to be fixed to keep STEM students engaged in a class essential to their career goals. It’s unfair that humanities students have dozens of different options pertaining to their individual aspirations, while STEM students have almost none.

Akilah Ali, a graduate student and college mentor for the UCLA Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences, said she has heard complaints from her STEM students about Writing II classes.

“Writing is not their strong point, and they are not necessarily interested in their writing classes,” Ali said. “Personally, as a former undergraduate, I felt the same way.”

STEM students need to learn how to write grants, research proposals and papers in their fields of expertise, as well as create presentations to show their work. But first, they need to know the basic writing skills. STEM students will utilize writing skills throughout their lives – so they should be able to have an interest in their writing requirements and get the most of them.

Dana Cairns Watson, a lecturer in the writing department, has found firsthand that her STEM students are some of the most imaginative thinkers when it comes to topics focused on their pursuits.

“When we’re studying how science gets written, they come to life. I’ve had students read poems on global warming and they were so happy,” Watson said. “They got really into the creative aspects of science.”

With the current selection of Writing II classes, STEM students aren’t being fully engaged. They are taking these classes because they have to, not because they want to.

Typically, Writing II classes are proposed by departments that prepare a course syllabus and cover letter to be presented to the Writing II Committee. STEM departments should be creating and implementing Writing II classes geared to the interests and writing skills these students need for their careers. This would benefit the students who take these classes, as well as the overall success of UCLA’s graduates.

The kinds of courses that would be added should still take on the typical format of a Writing II class, but with a STEM twist. Possible courses could address hacking and internet privacy concerns – for those interested in technology – or solutions to global warming – for those interested in the environment. In addition, courses dedicated to writing scientific articles aimed at nonscience students will be beneficial for those looking to improve their writing and communication skills.

Of course, some may say adding new Writing II courses would cost too much money. However, adding STEM-oriented Writing II courses would not be a financial burden on the departments.

Reem Hanna-Harwell, assistant dean of UCLA’s humanities division, explained that funding for new Writing II courses depends on who will be teaching them. If the classes are being taught by faculty or tenured professors, their salaries are already budgeted and there is no added expense. An expense only comes if there is a teaching assistant who will be leading the discussions. However, the departments can submit teaching plans and request a TA budget. Hanna-Harwell added that, under Pat Turner, the senior dean of the College of Letters and Science, there is a small budget dedicated to support Writing II TAs and any department can request funding from it.

Every class’ goal should be to engage its students’ passions and have them benefit from the course. Without STEM-focused topics, a big part of the UCLA population is not experiencing these benefits – and will continue to grumble their way to Haines and Bunche halls.

Movie review: ‘Ashes in the Snow’ lingers on the surface, failing to evoke sympathy or meaning

“Ashes in the Snow” director Marius Markevicius bites off more than he can chew in his underwhelming debut.

Based on the novel “Between Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetys, “Ashes in the Snow” follows 16-year-old Lina Vilkas (Bel Powley) and her family after they are exiled to Siberia under Stalin’s rule during World War II. The family, along with several other innocent Lithuanians, are indefinitely put to work in a labor camp. Lina draws the atrocities she witnesses, using art as an outlet to express herself amid the inhumane working conditions and death that surrounds her.

From the very start, Markevicius’ lack of subtlety sets the stage for a rudimentary film. “Ashes in the Snow” opens with title cards providing brief historical background explaining that Lithuania was seized by Stalin’s troops. But just in case you missed the explicit explanation, the establishing shot of Lithuania is conveniently labeled as “Kaunas, Lithuania – 1941” and a large Soviet flag occupies nearly half the frame. The title cards return as the film concludes, reiterating the fact that millions of innocent people were affected by the Soviet regime. The choice to use title cards in such an on-the-nose way immediately called Markevicius’ taste into question. The film might have been far more impactful had the director trusted the audience members and their ability to pick up on these obvious lessons on their own.

Despite the fact that Lina is purported as the film’s central character, the narrative is extremely disjointed and Lina’s journey ultimately becomes more of a B-story, second to her mother, Elena (Lisa Loven Kongsli), rather than the film’s driving force. Even as a main character, her use is questionable; Elena speaks Russian, serving as the sole source of communication between the soldiers and the exiled Lithuanians. While Elena is actively standing her ground against the soldiers, Lina passes the time by drawing pictures and flirting with her handsome yet superficial love interest, Andrius (Jonah Hauer-King). Rather than focusing on a few key characters, the film merely scratches the surface on characters that could be very compelling if given their due diligence. Too much time is spent adding throwaway characters used simply to garner some sort of emotional reaction.

Of these desperate attempts to affect the audience, the most anticlimactic are the several deaths depicted throughout the film. Most of the narrative martyrs seem to be introduced only to be executed a few scenes later. Their stories don’t enhance the film in any way; they are merely vignettes used to ensure the audience knows that the history of Soviet labor camps is tragic – it feels condescending rather than enlightening. These ineffective death scenes are cheap ways to make abundantly clear to the audience that Stalin was not the greatest man in the world – quite the lukewarm take by Markevicius.

Even if the film possessed a more meaningful message, the jarring pace would prove the plot just as unsuccessful. There are long lulls that are suddenly met with overly dramatic culminations with little to no payoff in the long run. In an unintentionally humorous moment of drama, Lina is caught with her illicit drawings. She is brought into the Soviet commander’s office, where he asks Lina to draw his portrait. The following sequence is comically intense, with abrasive music blaring as Lina fiercely sketches the man until she breaks the lead in her pencil. The portrait is then revealed to show the likeness of the commander with black eyes resembling a demon of sorts. What could have been a symbolic integrated element never comes into play again, leaving the purpose of the scene dubious at best.

Such meritless plot devices, including the use of flashbacks, hound the film. The flashbacks were entirely too boring and added nothing but runtime. Markevicius’ unoriginality is evident through the stereotypically filmed soft focus and brightly lit dreamlike sequences. Each flashback is focused on Lina and three of her friends, yet there is no indication as to the importance, if any, of these individuals with respect to the present events. Things that would have been interesting – Lina’s father before he went missing and his relationship with her – were entirely neglected from the jumps in time. If this relationship, among others, was properly explored, perhaps the narrative would be more consequential.

Even though the director’s creative choices are quite questionable, it should be noted that the technical aspects of Markevicius’ directing is indeed competent. There is nothing egregious about shot selection, framing or camera movement. In fact, one standout scene features newly appointed Soviet commander Nikolai (Martin Wallstroem) as he orders one of his men to shoot a woman attempting to escape the labor camp. As the soldier complies, the frame is constructed so that the murder is happening in the background. Nikolai’s profile takes up most of the frame, hiding the horrific act from the audience. This carefully crafted scene was extremely powerful in exposing the violence and complicity of the soldiers without graphic detail – if only the same care was taken in the rest of the film.

And the poor, neglected narrative led to the mess that is “Ashes in the Snow.” Markevicius’ inexperience led the film adaptation to merely be a watered down version of the novel it is based on. If you asked a reader to summarize the plot of the complex novel off the top of their head, it would probably be more coherent than this.