On June 10, 2020, JCI MN IODINE Co., Ltd. released the following new information regarding the therapeutic usefulness of JCI MN IODINE agents. Ryusuke Fujiki, Clinical Head and President of Fujiki Hospital, announced "minimally invasive, multidisciplinary treatment of cancer that has shown breakthrough results utilizing JCI MN IODINE agents." Photo: Dr. Ryusuke Fujiki, Clinical Head and President of Fujiki Hospital https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202006160918-O1-Y0aA692W Dr. Fujiki announced as follows: Cancer comprises not only cancer cells but also other components. Therefore, to improve the response rate and treatment efficiency, it is important to regard cancer as an organic aggregate of "cancer cells" and "all of the interstitial components." A remarkable difference between biological and experimental cancers that clinicians face is in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Therefore, practicing medical doctors must consider this fact during treatment. One of the challenges that clinicians face is that biological cancers in patients are completely different from experimental cancers because of the TME in the former. The importance of the TME has drawn more attention recently because treatments that target the malignant TME induce less therapy resistance and fewer adverse effects. Given these advantages, a clinical study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a biomodulating cancer therapy using colloidal iodine as well as low-dose chemotherapy, hyperthermotherapy, and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. The effects were estimated using a change of tumor markers and/or the findings of endoscopy or computed tomography. Dr. Fujiki reported on the usefulness of concomitant therapy using iodine via a biomodulation mechanism. In this clinical study, 13 cases were highly advanced cancers in stage 4 or with indications for intrusive treatment or palliative care, and this therapy was more effective than conventional therapy. For the most effective strategy using this formulation, the duration and optimal dose of treatment that targets or modulates the TME should be determined. These findings will have a strong impact on future cancer treatment, although a multidisciplinary cancer treatment will be needed because the molecules that play a central role in the TME vary for different organs. Because this therapy makes subsequent molecular-targeting therapies possible by improving the physical status of patients, it is expected that iodine will improve the sensitivity of molecular-targeting chemotherapy via its action on the TME. This trial suggests the usefulness of colloidal iodine in the early stages of cancer and justifies further clinical trials of this preparation. Dr. Fujiki explained as follows: Iodine has strong intermolecular aggregation properties due to van der Waals forces, is made into "iodine + water molecule aggregates," and functions as an intracellular antioxidant. Free iodine (I2) oxidizes water to become hypoiodine and hydrogen iodide, and efficiently scavenges intracellular hydroxyl radicals. It is particularly effective in eliminating mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS). This action restores mitochondrial function, followed by changing the environment of cancer cells from anaerobic to aerobic and allowing the cells to be reborn in the new form. Recent reports have maintained that the main origin of carcinogenesis may not be in DNA but in mitochondria of the cytoplasm. Iodine also enhances cell regeneration by activating the cell mitochondria damaged in cancer, colon tissue, cerebral infarction, or myocardial infarction to assist in recovery from these conditions. In synergy with HBO therapy, it turns the metabolism of cancer cells from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism, inhibiting the proliferation of cancer. As a direct effect of colloidal iodine, Dr. Fujiki focused on the effects of replacement therapy of ascites with an alkaline formulation. This technique decreases the number of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), which are the leading instigator in creating an intraperitoneal inflammatory environment and helps reduce tumor-facilitating exosome miRNA and inflammatory cytokine production, thus improving the TME. This formulation has a high affinity with Mdm2, Rb and P53, and stabilizes the proteins due to a molecular chaperone effect. He speculates that this kind of immunotherapy works via a mechanism unlike immune checkpoint inhibitors. The anti-bacterial effect of iodine induces the suppression of both inflammatory cytokines and migration of macrophages and the restoration of mitochondrial function in the TME. What is even better is the improvement in the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors. - JCI colloidal iodine use with chemotherapy By inhibiting the degradation of cancer inhibitory genes by cancer tumor proteins, G2-M arrest in the cell cycle and cancer inhibitory gene-dependent apoptosis are promoted and elevate the effects of chemotherapy. Furthermore, colloidal iodine forms a conjugate with inflammatory cytokines and the tumor proteins that break off and are fragmented by chemotherapy, inactivating the proteins and cytokines, and attenuating multi-drug resistance to chemotherapy. - Application for COVID-19 Iodine also has bactericidal and anti-viral effects. It is well-known that 0.5% iodine as a disinfectant agent is most effective on viruses (influenza: H3N2, H1N1; coronavirus, RS virus, adenovirus) compared with other antiviral agents, and reduces them to below the detection limit after 15 s. The new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which has caused a stir in the world, is an enveloped virus with a single positive-strand RNA as its viral genome, and, like the SARS coronavirus, is transmitted to human cells through the ACE2 receptor. The colloidal iodine agent has a high affinity for proteins, even for viral proteins. The colloidal form of the drug has various uses, not only for cancer treatment but also for improving tissue absorption, suggesting that iodine has potential as a counter-SARS-CoV-2 agent. Dr. Fujiki is accumulating the data on inhalation use as well as oral or systemic use. JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE (R) can be administered by intravenous infusion, orally, or through inhalation. Dr. Fujiki has noted that there is a high probability that various combinations of these three modes of administration can be used to treat patients with COVID-19 regardless of disease stages. Patients with less serious symptoms could ingest it at home or in an absorptive format using a portable nebulizer without visiting a hospital. The use of JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE (R) as eye or nose drops may help prevent viral spread and lower the load on medical facilities. Thus, this unique colloidal formulation offers diverse applications beyond mere cancer treatment. See the summary of content here: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202006160918-O1-m6Jx3pVm.pdf Note: JCI MN COLLOIDAL IODINE (R) has not yet received drug approval in Japan. Official website: http://jci-mn-jp.com/ Source: JCI MN IODINE Co., Ltd.