Johns Hopkins scientists report they have identified two potential new drug targets for the treatment of HIV. The finding is from results of a small, preliminary study of 19 people infected with both HIV—the virus that causes AIDS—and the hepatitis C virus. The study revealed that two genes—CMPK2 and BCLG, are selectively activated in the […]
Tag: Immunology
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and Cancer Research Institute Announce New Collaboration in Cancer Immunotherapy
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) announced today that FNIH has selected CRI to be its source of landscape intelligence in immuno-oncology, also called cancer immunotherapy. This collaboration draws on CRI’s 65 years of leadership in cancer immunotherapy and its first-in-class immunotherapy landscape analyses produced by […]
Scientists Identify a Protein Complex That Shapes the Destiny of T Cells
Like a mentor helping medical students choose between specialties, a protein complex helps shape the destiny of developing T cells, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have reported. The research appears today in the journal Science Immunology and adds to growing evidence of the critical role cell metabolism plays in the immune system. The protein […]
Breast Cancer Could Be Prevented by Targeting Epigenetic Proteins, Study Suggests
Researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto have discovered that epigenetic proteins promote the proliferation of mammary gland stem cells in response to the sex hormone progesterone. The study, which will be published June 19 in the Journal of Cell Biology, suggests that inhibiting these proteins with drugs could prevent the development of breast […]
Temple University Scientists Eradicate Cancer Cells Through Dual Targeting of DNA Repair Mechanisms
Proteins commonly known as BRCA – short for BReast CAncer susceptibility gene– serve a critical role in cellular DNA repair, but when mutated they allow genetic errors to replicate, facilitating cancer development. If the BRCA repair system is disabled in cancer cells, the cells simply turn to backup repair mechanisms and adapt to alternative repair […]
By Forming Clots in Tumors, Immune Cell AIDS Lung Cancer’s Spread
University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have found that helping to to form clots within tumors, immune cells that flock to a particular type of lung cancer are actually building a foundation for the tumor to spread within the body. In the journal Nature Communications, researchers report for a particular subset of […]
New CAR T Case Study Shows Promise in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, also known as CAR T therapy, was named the biggest research breakthrough of 2017 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The personal gene therapy utilizes a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer. The Food and Drug Administration has approved CAR T therapy products for adults with diffuse large […]
‘Molecular Scissors’ Could Be Key to Cutting Off Diseases Including HIV Infection
One way to fight diseases including HIV infection and autoimmune disorders could involve changing how a naturally occurring enzyme called SAMHD1 works to influence the immune system, new research suggests. The study, led by researchers from The Ohio State University, details how the enzyme influences proteins that stimulate the immune response. SAMHD1 isn’t a molecular […]
A Combination of Cancer Immunotherapies Could Save More Lives
Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered a new combination of cancer immunotherapy treatment that could improve patients’ survival rates. The pre-clinical study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, by Dr Sarah Buchan and colleagues, combined antibodies targeting PD-1/PD-L1, a type of immunotherapy known as checkpoint blockade that overcomes the resistance of cancer cells to the […]
New explanation for why airways close in asthma holds promise for future class of drugs
Houston Methodist researchers have a new explanation for what causes the lungs’ airways to close during asthma attacks that could change the lives of the 300 million people worldwide who suffer from asthma. The discovery holds promise for developing a new class of drugs that is radically different from the steroids currently used to treat […]
Rare Melanoma Type Highly Responsive to Immunotherapy
Desmoplastic melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma that is commonly found on sun-exposed areas, such as the head and neck, and usually seen in older patients. Treatment is difficult because these tumors are often resistant to chemotherapy and lack actionable mutations commonly found in other types of melanoma that are targeted by specific drugs. […]
Beta Blockers May Boost Immunotherapy, Help Melanoma Patients Live Longer
A common, inexpensive drug that is used to prevent heart attacks and lower blood pressure may also help melanoma patients live longer. Researchers at Penn State found that melanoma patients who received immunotherapy while taking a specific type of beta blocker lived longer than patients who received immunotherapy alone. In a follow-up experiment with mice, […]
For cancer patients with HIV, immunotherapy appears safe
A new category of immunotherapies called checkpoint inhibitors that has been highly effective against many different cancers appears safe to use in patients with both advanced malignancies and HIV, a population excluded from earlier trials of such therapies, according to an early-phase trial. Study Principal Investigator, Dr. Thomas Uldrick of the HIV & AIDS Malignancy […]
New molecule shows promise in HIV vaccine design
Researchers at the University of Maryland and Duke University have designed a novel protein-sugar vaccine candidate that, in an animal model, stimulated an immune response against sugars that form a protective shield around HIV. The molecule could one day become part of a successful HIV vaccine. “An obstacle to creating an effective HIV vaccine is […]
Drug targeting technique could aid therapies for immune diseases
A new technique that targets drugs to specific cells could lead to improved therapies for diseases caused by an overactive immune response. The approach could help people affected by conditions such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases, where the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. Researchers focused on a group of immune cells […]
Immune Cells Produce Wound Healing Factor, Could Lead To New IBD Treatment
Specific immune cells have the ability to produce a healing factor that can promote wound repair in the intestine, a finding that could lead to new, potential therapeutic treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a new research study. The research team, led by Georgia State University and the University of Michigan, wanted to […]
Modulating T-Cell Metabolism Uncovers New Technology for Enhancing Immunotherapy
T lymphocytes found in tumors and implicated in killing tumor cells cope with the shortage of oxygen and nutrients in the tumor microenvironment by using fat as the main source of energy. Promoting a switch from glucose to fatty acid to generate energy enhances T cell antitumor activity. These findings from a study conducted at The […]
Cell Surface Protein May Offer Big Target in Treating High-Risk Childhood Cancers
Oncology researchers studying high-risk children’s cancers have identified a protein that offers a likely target for immunotherapy–harnessing the immune system in medical treatments. In cell cultures and animal models, a potent drug attached to an antibody selectively zeroes in on cancer cells without harming healthy cells. “We have built a strong foundation for developing a […]
Wistar scientists develop novel immunotherapy technology for prostate cancer
A study led by scientists at The Wistar Institute describes a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer based on the use of synthetic DNA to directly encode protective antibodies against a cancer specific protein. This is the first application of the new technology, called DNA-encoded monoclonal antibody (DMAb), for cancer immunotherapy. The study […]
Targeting ‘broken’ metabolism in immune cells reduces inflammatory disease
The team, led by researchers at Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London and Ergon Pharmaceuticals, believes the approach could offer new hope in the treatment of inflammatory conditions like arthritis, autoimmune diseases and sepsis. In a study published this week in the journal Nature Communications, they explain how blocking a single enzyme enabled […]