SAN DIEGO: Dennis Lyon was a genetic train wreck. Cancer was ravaging his liver, lungs, bones and brain, and tests showed so many tumor mutations that drugs targeting one or two wouldn’t do much good. It seemed like very bad news, yet his doctors were encouraged.
The reason: People with the most messed-up genes often are the ones who do best on treatments that enlist the immune system.
“These are the patients we used to be very depressed about,” thinking they couldn’t be helped, said Dr. Razelle Kurzrock at the University of California, San Diego. “Now when we see those types of patients, we’re really excited,” because there are so many ways for the immune system to recognize the cancer cells as abnormal.
Immunotherapy is the hottest thing in cancer care. Drugs called checkpoint inhibitors can vanquish some advanced cancers by removing a chemical cloak that hides them from the immune system. Former President Jimmy Carter got one at age 91 for skin cancer that spread to his brain, and now is in remission.
But they’re expensive, have side effects, and work for only about one-quarter of patients — as few as 5 percent with colon cancer and as many as half with the skin cancer, melanoma. Sometimes the benefits are brief.
Worst of all: For a small number of unlucky folks, treatment can backfire. Their cancer grows exponentially after getting a checkpoint drug.
“We’re going to have to figure out not only who to treat with immunotherapy but who not to treat,” Kurzrock said.
Gene tests are starting to help sort that out. But for patients, the big question is “Will it work for me?“
PREDICTING WHO BENEFITS
The first step is testing for a protein called PD-L1 that’s often involved in forming that chemical cloak. Some checkpoint drugs target this or a related protein, so people with a lot of it should respond to treatment.
That was the hope when Diane Tippett showed up last October at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center with a salivary gland cancer that had spread to her liver and lungs.
“Five years ago, I probably would have thrown up my hands and given her standard chemo,” said the center’s director, Dr. Louis Weiner.
Instead, he ordered tests that showed Tippett had a PD-L1 mutation, meaning her cancer made a lot of it. He started the 49-year-old Leonardtown, Maryland, woman on a checkpoint drug, Opdivo, and told her to come back in a few months.
“Quite honestly, I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again,” he said.
Now, Tippett’s lung tumors are gone. Her liver tumor shrank 50 percent and is stable. She got married in July and says she feels great.
“I don’t feel any different than you do. I’m not tired, I’ve got all my hair,” she said. “I want more people to know about it and to ask their doctors about it,” she said of immunotherapy and the testing that led her to it.
NOT THE WHOLE STORY
That protein isn’t a very reliable predictor, though. Some people with a lot of it don’t benefit from the drugs and the opposite also is true. There are other checkpoints besides that one, too.
Researchers increasingly are focusing on something else Tippett had: a high number of flawed genes. It’s a sign that tumors have been evolving over time and are hard to treat with drugs that target a single gene. It sometimes accompanies two other DNA problems that some checkpoint drugs already are approved to treat.
Lyon, the San Diego man, had nearly two dozen different mutations after his skin cancer spread widely. In October 2015, he started on Opdivo and was in near-complete remission within two months. Recent tests showed no active cancer in his spine and lungs, and doctors think small spots in his brain and liver may be scar tissue, though they can’t know for sure. A test for tumor DNA in his blood found none.
“It would appear my cancer is all dead,” he said, and called it “nothing short of miraculous” that gene tests led to successful treatment after years of trial and error. “I’m so grateful. No one’s lucky that gets cancer but I may be in an era where there’s a way through this tunnel.”
Three-quarters of patients who are helped by checkpoint drugs have long-lasting benefits, as Lyon did, said Dr. Steven O’Day, an immunotherapy expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
“When you respond, it’s a home run in terms of long-term survival,” O’Day said. “But we still have to be better at predicting who those patients are.”
THE DARK SIDE
Others have not been so fortunate. In November, French researchers reported that 12 of 131 patients, or 9 percent, got much worse after checkpoint drugs, which seemed to speed their tumor growth.
Kurzrock checked with colleagues and quickly found more cases — a 73-year-old man with bladder cancer, a 65-year-old woman with endometrial cancer, and a 44-year-old breast cancer patient whose tumors “just exploded” in size within two months of immunotherapy.
In a report on 155 patients, she tied several gene mutations to this risk. Kurzrock has consulted for some gene-medicine makers and co-founded a company using a software program to determine best treatments for patients depending on their tumor genes.
The unfortunate cases are a reality check, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.
“We are not paying close enough attention to those people” and need to know whether they fared badly because of their treatment or for other reasons, he said.
SHOULD WE BE DOING ‘IMMUNOGRAMS’?
That’s the question Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, posed a gene medicine conference he organized in March at the suburban San Diego research center. Should there be baseline tests to map what patients’ natural defenses look like? For example, how many immune system soldiers called T cells do they have in the area of the tumor?
Max Krummel is working on a roadmap to do that. The University of California, San Francisco, scientist heads a project with $10 million from three companies that make checkpoint drugs. He is analyzing hundreds of tumor samples to see what immune system features spell success or failure.
“We’re not looking at how the immune system changes,” but for what starting point works best with the drugs, he said. “What we’re seeing is that the kinds of cells you have in a tumor predict who’s going to respond.”
Krummel, who was involved in work that led to Yervoy, the first checkpoint drug, has started a company to try to tune up one part of the immune system he thinks is key to maintaining a healthy balance.
Cancer exists because the immune system isn’t working as it should, he said, so successful immunotherapy may require “treating the immune system, not treating the tumor.”
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Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter: @MMarchioneAP
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This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The big question: Will cancer immune therapy work for me?
The big question: Will cancer immune therapy work for me?
Where We Are Going Today: ‘Le Relais de l’Entrecote’ in Jeddah
- No French meal would be complete without dessert, and Le Relais de l’Entrecote offers an array of indulgent options to finish on a sweet note
Le Relais de l’Entrecote, located at Fayfa Avenue on Al-Tahlia Street in Jeddah, offers a French dining experience that brings a piece of Paris to the city. Every element of this restaurant, from its traditional bistro decor to the attentive hospitality, reflects the essence of France.
The atmosphere inside is cozy and intimate, while the outdoor terrace provides an ideal setting for open-air dining when the weather is right.
Known for its single-dish concept, Le Relais de l’Entrecote serves only one main course: a classic steak and fries. This approach, honed since the restaurant’s beginnings in Paris in 1959, allows the chefs to perfect their offering.
The meal kicks off with a simple, flavorful green salad tossed in a mustard vinaigrette and garnished with crushed walnuts. Following this, diners are served a tender steak, cooked to their liking, and accompanied by crispy fries.
Though the menu is straightforward, the quality and attention to detail elevate the dining experience. While waiting for the main course, guests are treated to a basket of freshly baked French baguette. Be cautious, though — the bread is so delicious, it can be tempting to fill up before the main event arrives.
No French meal would be complete without dessert, and Le Relais de l’Entrecote offers an array of indulgent options to finish on a sweet note.
Among the choices are creme brulee, with its delicate, caramelized crust; a strawberry melba with fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and a splash of red currant coulis; and chocolate profiteroles, which feature light pastry filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce and toasted almonds.
Other delights include the rich Sevigne chocolate cake served with Chantilly cream; the refreshing raspberry sorbet with fresh berries and raspberry liqueur; and the Summer Vacherin, a mix of meringues, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry sorbet topped with raspberry coulis and Chantilly cream.
Though a two-course meal here may be on the pricier side, the quality of ingredients and the distinctive dining experience make it worth trying at least once in a lifetime — an ideal choice for a special occasion, rather than an everyday outing.
Check @lerelaisentrecote on Instagram for more details.
Ayman Al-Zubaidi: Bringing authentic Saudi flavors to London’s culinary scene
- The founder of London’s Hijazi Corner was hopeless in the kitchen, but his move abroad sparked a desire to recreate the cuisine of his homeland
LONDON: Ayman Al-Zubaidi — the acclaimed chef behind Hijazi Corner, London’s first Saudi Arabian restaurant — has cooked for dignitaries, diplomats, celebrities and even the Kingdom’s royal family. But his most discerning critics were waiting for him much closer to home.
In 2021, after several years living in London, Al-Zubaidi came home to Jeddah. But instead of the football shirt his family had pictured him wearing after his UK studies in sports science, he returned in chef whites. It was a transformation that no one saw coming — least of all him.
Growing up in Jeddah’s Al-Sabeel district with his sister and three brothers, Al-Zubaidi could barely boil his own water. The kitchen was strictly his mother’s territory, and his late-night culinary ventures didn’t go far beyond packets of instant noodles. But now, the tables had turned, and his mother was seated as his guest.
“When I first moved to the UK, I was clueless in the kitchen, so I called her for help,” Al-Zubaidi tells Arab News from his restaurant in London’s de facto Arab district of Edgware Road. It was her loving mentorship that laid the foundations for his culinary journey, shaping his path to becoming one of London’s most distinctive chefs.
“When any chef starts to speak about food, they talk about their mum. Her chicken kabsa is a bit oily, a bit shiny and looks amazing — even just talking about it now I become hungry,” Al-Zubaidi says. “But even if I had the same ingredients and made it the same way, hers would always taste better.”
Building on family recipes honed over decades by his ancestors in Yemen, Al Zubaidi’s Hijazi Corner is the only place in the UK capital where Saudis can find a true taste of home.
Lined with thick carpets and ornate window paneling evoking the buildings of Jeddah’s Al-Balad historical district, its menu is full of comforting favorites drawn from across the Kingdom’s western coastal region — chicken seelag, slow-roasted lamb haneeth and delicate, flaky samboosek.
“From the richest person to the poorest person in Saudi Arabia, we eat the same food,” he says. “When we celebrate, when we grieve, when we are happy or sad, we get masoub (banana pudding) or motabbaq (thin layers of pastry stuffed with meat).”
Al-Zubaidi’s path to the kitchen was anything but conventional. As a teenager eager to learn English, he set his sights on the UK, drawn by what he called “a love for the accent,” and made the leap in 2017. After completing his language course, he switched tracks to study sports. But somewhere between lectures and life abroad, homesickness hit in the form of a craving for the familiar flavors of Arabia.
“In London, you can find plenty of Turkish, Kurdish, Indian, even Malaysian options — but nothing from Saudi,” he explains. “So I decided to make it myself.” He began recreating the comforting dishes of home in his small Clapham flat, selling them cash-in-hand to fellow Saudis in search of an authentic taste of the Kingdom.
But the secret didn’t stay a secret for long. Soon, his passion found a new platform — Snapchat.
Al-Zubaidi shared short videos of his cooking process, garnishing each clip with personal moments and mouth-watering close-ups of Saudi dishes. His humble videos quickly gained a loyal fanbase, and orders poured in from every corner of the city — particularly as COVID took hold in the early months of 2020.
“People from the Saudi embassy added me, people from Aramco working in London added me. Saudis living here, working here, growing up here — plus lots of foreign people who had been to my country and tried this food before.”
What started as a side hustle quickly evolved into a pop-up, and by 2023, into a brick-and-mortar restaurant where Londoners could finally experience the authentic flavors of Saudi Arabia.
During the pop-up stage, Al-Zubaidi’s Snapchat followers became more than fans; they became enablers of his culinary vision, bringing a piece of Saudi Arabia to his London kitchen. Whenever one of his followers planned a trip from Saudi to the UK, they’d reach out, asking if he needed any hard-to-find ingredients.
Al-Zubaidi’s requests were simple but essential — fragrant spices, fresh dill, and most importantly, the special pastry sheets that he just couldn’t source in London.
“I’d say ‘I need the real pastry for samosa.’ And they’d bring it for me,” he says.
The enthusiasm was mutual. His followers were just as eager to bring these reminders of home, knowing he’d transform them into the dishes they missed.
Yet not everyone was as supportive. As he juggled his studies and the pop-up, criticism began to surface, especially from former friends back home.
“They mocked me,” he recalls. “They’d say things like, ‘You went to the UK to study, and now you’re just selling food?’”
Influencers he approached for social-media support brushed him off with dismissive remarks. But Al-Zubaidi was undeterred, finding new friends and switching his studies from sport to cooking. With a network of loyal clients and the backing of a few new investors he had met along the way, he began seriously considering a restaurant.
One wealthy friend, who had seen the young chef’s determination, urged him to take the plunge. After months of hard work studying knife skills, mastering Saudi dishes, and learning the restaurant business inside out, Al-Zubaidi took the leap.
Two years after opening its doors, Hijazi Corner is a definite success, becoming one of London’s top-rated Middle Eastern eateries. It’s perpetually packed with diners, and has become a go-to spot for celebrities, diplomats, and dignitaries from the Arab world and beyond, all seeking an authentic taste of Saudi Arabia.
After showcasing Saudi cuisine at several festivals and events, on National Day this September, Al-Zubaidi received a special honor — an invitation to the Kingdom’s embassy in London.
The recognition came after HRH Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UK, visited Hijazi Corner and was so impressed that he mentioned it by name in his National Day speech. Al-Zubaidi, overcome with pride, shed tears of joy.
“I am proud of what I’ve achieved, but I haven’t finished yet,” he says. “This is just the beginning—there’s so much more of Saudi culture I want to share with the world.”
Where We Are Going Today: Raoul’s at VIA Riyadh
Raoul’s at VIA Riyadh transports diners to France with its elegant menu of French-inspired bites and desserts. The restaurant’s attention to detail and dedication to authentic flavors makes it a standout for those seeking a refined dining experience.
Start with the braised lamb, served on a crisp parmesan cookie and topped with a touch of tomato jam. This combination brings rich, savory flavors with a slight sweetness, capturing the essence of French cuisine.
The beetroot, feta and avocado mini-tart adds a refreshing, colorful bite to the meal, while the crispy crab beignets are light yet packed with flavor, offering a perfect contrast to the heavier dishes.
For dessert, Raoul’s sticky date pudding pops, coated in warm toffee sauce, provide a cozy, nostalgic sweetness, while raspberry profiteroles with a crispy biscuit finish the meal on a light, fruity note.
The drinks menu complements the French flavors, featuring options such as the Kir Royal, a sparkling blend of wine with cherry cordial, and the Pink Promise, which mixes sour soup juice, rose water, hibiscus tea and lime juice for a floral, refreshing taste. The ambiance is relaxed and sophisticated, with live music adding a touch of elegance to the dining experience.
However, parking at VIA Riyadh is not complimentary, which may be inconvenient for some diners. Despite this, Raoul’s dedication to authentic French techniques and modern twists makes it a fantastic choice for an elegant night out, offering dishes that are both classic and inventive.
For more information, check Instagram @raoulsrestaurant.sa
Recipes for Success: Chef Ranveer Brar offers advice and a delicious saag meat recipe
DUBAI: Celebrity chef, painter and actor Ranveer Brar was born in Lucknow, northern India, and fell in love with cooking at a very young age. While accompanying his grandfather to the local gurudwara (Sikh place of worship), he remembers sneaking into the community kitchen — known as a langar — excited by all the activity there.
“A few years later, when I was a pre-teen, the priest called me aside and asked me to prepare the rice dish, as his wife was unwell that day. I had no list of ingredients, nor the recipe, but, recalling what I’d observed, I prepared the dish and it turned out quite well. That was my first experience of instant gratification with food,” Brar tells Arab News. “After my debut at the gurudwara, my next attempt at cooking was when my mother fell ill and I made rajma — again, without any recipe, I just made it from my memory of watching my mother make it. I overheard my dad complimenting the attempt and, at that moment, I realized that food was my calling.”
Brar opened his first restaurant in the Gulf in Dubai late last year.
“Kashkan means ‘From Kashmir to Kanyakumari,’” he says. “The UAE, and Dubai in particular, seemed like the perfect venue because it is a melting pot of both cultures and cuisines, so what better place to celebrate Kashkan’s melange of flavours?”
Here, Brar discusses his favorite ingredient, the toughest dish to perfect, and advice for amateurs.
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
Trying to do too much and over-express myself. As a result, I was losing myself — the idea I was trying to express was getting lost. With age I understood that not everything one knows needs to be expressed in a single dish. Wisdom lies in choosing the right moment for the right expression.
What’s your top tip for amateurs?
Stick to the basics. If you get the fundamentals right, you can rarely go wrong with cooking. They can then become the basis for innovation as one evolves.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
That would be coriander for me, adding a lot of freshness. From the stalks to the leaves, every element of the herb is fascinating. Also olive oil, which adds richness.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
I don’t really. I view food as food. The reason I am who I am is because food has always made me happy, so I don’t want to take that role away from food in my life. When eating out, I try to feel, understand and appreciate the intent of the person who’s cooking. But when it’s my cooking, I tend to be quite harsh and critical of myself, because every time you cook, it’s an opportunity to improve yourself.
What’s your favorite cuisine?
It’s usually the local food of the place I am travelling to. Also, the simpler the restaurant, the more likely I am to end up there. I believe the essence of good food is its simplicity. What better than street food and age-old places to understand the true culture and cuisine of any place?
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
Has to be khichdi. It’s the perfect one-pot meal that has everything your appetite needs. Add in vegetables and you get a good proportion of all nutrients on your plate. And don’t forget the ghee!
What customer request most annoys you?
Strangely, it’s when they ask for salt! Salt is such an important element of any dish. A little too much salt can subdue other flavors and too little can fail to elevate them. I feel it’s the chef’s judgment of the amount of salt that allows us to experience the dish as intended. So when customers ask for salt it disappoints me, because the true nature of the dish might get spoiled.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
My special chicken curry. Be it family or friends, I always get asked for that. It’s now a signature dish at Kashkan too.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
Biryani is something I would love to keep perfecting. You have to cook many layers of rice at the same time, giving it minimum water, minimum heat over a long period of time, with every grain of rice being the same, every layer of flavor equally coating the rice. I think biryani is the perfect test for anyone who is a student of Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I used to be a disciplinarian believing that cooking was all about control; the heat, environment, ingredients and cooking itself. Now I’m more relaxed; it’s more collaborative, it’s more about letting the team express themselves and my role is to guide them through that expression.
RECIPE: SAAG MEAT
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS:
For the marination:
4 medium Onions, sliced
¼ cup fresh Fenugreek leaves
¾ cup Curd, beaten
Salt to taste
½ tsp Turmeric powder
½ tsp Degi red chili powder
½ tsp Coriander powder
1 kg Mutton (with bones)
½ tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
For the mutton:
3-4 tbsp Oil
3 Bay leaf
2 Black cardamom
2 Cloves
¼ tsp Cumin seeds
Marinated Mutton
Salt to taste
few fresh Fenugreek leaves
Little water
For the saag meat:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
1 inch Ginger (peeled & chopped)
4-5 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium Onions, chopped
2-3 Green chillies
2 Dry red chillies
2-3 medium bunch fresh Spinach leaves, chopped
¼ cup Amaranth (Bathua)
Salt to taste
Little water
1 tbsp Butter, cubed
Pressure Cooked Mutton
½ tbsp unsalted Butter or white butter, cubed (optional)
½ tsp Mustard oil
For garnish:
Coriander sprig
INSTRUCTIONS
For marination:
In a bowl, add onions, fresh fenugreek leaves, curd, salt to taste, turmeric powder, deg red chili powder, coriander powder, mutton, ginger garlic paste and mix it well.
Keep it aside for further use.
For the mutton:
In a pressure cooker, add oil, once it's hot, add bay leaf, black cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds and let it splutter.
Add marinated mutton and saute it for 6-7 minutes. Add salt to taste and cook for a while.
Add a few fenugreek leaves and mix well. Add water, close the lid and cook it for 5-6 whistles or until the mutton is tender.
Keep it aside for further use.
For the saag meat:
In a kadai (Indian wok), add oil, ghee, once it's hot, ginger, garlic, onion, green chillies and saute for a minute.
Add dry red chillies and saute well. Add spinach, amaranth leaves, salt to taste, water and saute well.
Add butter, close the lid and cook it for 3-4 minutes.
Add cooked mutton and let it simmer for a while.
To finish, add unsalted butter or white butter, mustard oil and stir it well.
Transfer it to a serving dish and garnish it with coriander sprig.
Serve hot with roti.
Where We Are Going Today: ‘Scott’s’ at VIA Riyadh
Scott’s at VIA Riyadh offers a sophisticated dining experience for fans of sushi and seafood.
The live sushi station showcases creativity and quality with dishes like the Hokkaido scallop with truffle maki roll, paired with jalapeno dressing for a touch of heat, and the seared wagyu with caviar, enriched with mushroom teriyaki, providing a savory and rich flavor profile.
For a tropical twist, try the tempura lobster tartlet topped with pineapple and papaya salsa. The inventive dish combines the sweetness of tropical fruits with the richness of lobster, offering a balanced and refreshing bite.
For dessert, the macha choux with whipped strawberry ganache and the salted caramel chocolate fondant offer a satisfying mix of textures and flavors, perfect for rounding off a seafood-centric meal.
Scott’s club mocktail, a blend of raspberry, lychee, sage and yuzu, pairs beautifully with the seafood offerings, providing a refreshing complement to the dishes.
The ambiance is elevated by a four-piece live band, creating a relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere ideal for a night out in Riyadh.
A drawback is that parking at VIA Riyadh is not free, which could be seen as a minor inconvenience. Nonetheless, Scott’s commitment to quality ingredients and elegant presentations makes it a top choice for those seeking fresh, refined flavors in a lively setting.
For more information, check the restaurant’s Instagram page @scotts.saudi.
