American Wins Match of the Ages!

WIMBLEDON, England—The most famous tennis tournament, Wimbledon, has seen many legendary matches played on its grass courts. But a first-round marathon match between two relatively unknown players shattered records for the sport.

On one side of Court 18 was a scrappy Frenchman, Nicolas Mahut. On the other was 6-foot-9-inch American John Isner, ranked 23rd for tournament. Isner took the first set 6 games to 4. Mahut tied the match, taking the second set 6-3.

The third and fourth sets came down to tie-breakers, with Mahut taking the third, and Isner winning the fourth to tie things up again. Little did the players know that this would turn into the longest tennis match ever played!

Since Wimbledon doesn’t have lit courts, games can be played until sunset and then resume the following day, if need be. After the fourth set on June 22, play was suspended because of darkness.

The fifth and deciding set started June 23, and the players—both known for their great serves—couldn’t have been more equally matched. At Wimbledon there are no tie-breakers in the fifth set if the games reach 6-6.

You have to win by two games to get the victory.

Each player kept winning his serve—7-6, then 7-7, then 8-7, then 8-8. Neither Mahut or Isner panicked—they kept their cool. Ten hours into the match, the fifth set was tied 59-59 and play was suspended again for darkness.

The match stretched to a third day at Wimbledon. Isner finally broke Mahut’s serve to win the fifth set 70-68 and take the match. Isner served a record 112 aces. Overall, the two played 11 hours and 5 minutes! “To be able to share this day with him (Mahut) was an absolute honor. I wish him nothing but the best,” Isner said after the history-making match.

Promising Results in Breast Cancer Fight

Imagine if people could get a shot that keeps them from getting breast cancer. Believe it or not, this might be reality in the not-too-distant future!

Researchers are working on a breast cancer vaccine, and results on special lab mice look very promising so far. Now the researchers want to start testing the safety of the vaccine on people.

Almost 200,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This disease, the second most common type of cancer in women, kills about 41,000 Americans each year. A woman has a 12 percent chance of getting breast cancer in her lifetime, and that percentage climbs to 60 percent if a person is born with two abnormal genes called BRCA1 and BRCA 2. Breast cancer rates also go up for those 40 years or older.

For the past eight years, Dr. Vincent Tuohy has conducted cancer research at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Institute. Inspired by the success of vaccines that fight diseases like polio and the measles, Dr. Tuohy and his team want the body’s immune system to seek out and destroy breast cancer cells without harming healthy cells in the body.

“Most cancers aren’t caused by viruses, they’re caused by an overgrowth of breast tissue cells,” Dr. Tuohy explains. “They just keep growing. They become very independent, and this leads to terrible consequences.” The cancer tissue can take over organs, causing tremendous damage that eventually can kill a person.

Traditional breast cancer treatments involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and targeted drug therapy. Often these treatments hurt healthy tissue as well, and the cancer often returns within 10 years.

Lab results for the experimental vaccine seem promising and were just published in the medical journal, “Nature Medicine.” Special mice that are bred to develop breast cancer were used. One group got got a “sham” vaccine that really does nothing, and the other got the experimental vaccine. “We examined the animals for tumors,” Dr. Tuohy says. “None of the animals that were vaccinated had any breast tumors, but all of the animals who were sham vaccinated had breast tumors. They were very stunning results.”

The experimental vaccine doesn’t have a formal name yet, but Dr. Tuohy nicknamed it “Terminator.” The vaccine targets a certain protein found in most breast cancer tumors. “When the tumor appears, the immune system just goes in and removes them,” Dr. Tuohy says.

“It’s like being in a restaurant, and a person is very boisterous and being a disturbance. We send in these immune bouncers, who come in and remove the person,” he explains. “The boisterous person in the restaurant (the cancer) is expressing something that the bouncers are attracted to. Meanwhile, the normal people in the restaurant (the healthy cells) are quietly enjoying their meal.”

Encouraged by the results, the clinic is trying to raise money and get approval from the Food and Drug Administration to test the vaccine on humans. Dr. Tuohy warns that the human testing may take a year or two to get started. The initial subjects will probably be women over 40 who have advanced breast cancer. Ideally, though, the vaccine will prevent breast cancer so that it never gets the chance to develop in a person. Even if “Terminator” doesn’t pass its human trials, Dr. Tuohy is convinced that scientists can figure out a vaccine that will work—it’s just a matter of time. Dr. Tuohy loves doing cancer research. “I get up every day looking forward to working and thinking. It’s really exciting to be a scientist,” Dr. Tuohy says. “We can do wonderful things if we can put our minds to it, and have the resources and the commitment to do it. I think anything is possible, and I think this is possible.”