New research signposts a new, less invasive approach to identify killer T lymphocytes in patients with gastrointestinal tumors with low mutational burden who are refractory to approved immune-based treatments.
Read moreInsulin is normally produced by pancreatic beta cells. In many people with diabetes, pancreatic cells are not functional, causing a chronic and potentially fatal insulin deficiency that can only be controlled through daily insulin injections. However, this approach has serious adverse effects. In order to improve therapy, researchers have identified a protein called S100A9 which seems to act as a blood sugar and lipid regulator while avoiding the most harmful side effects of insulin.
Read moreBioengineers are a step closer to making CAR T-cell therapy safer, more precise and easy to control. They developed a system that allows them to select where and when CAR T cells get turned on so that they destroy cancer cells without harming normal cells. The system requires two 'keys' — the drug Tamoxifen and blue light — to activate CAR T cells to bind to their targets.
Read moreThe aim of immunotherapies is to enable the immune system once again to fight cancer on its own. Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors are already in clinical use for this purpose. However, they are only effective in about one third of patients. Based on analysis of human tissue samples, a team has now discovered one reason why this is so: an inactive receptor in cancer cells prevents the drugs from reactivating the immune system.
Read moreRecent research has revealed increased inflammatory activity in a subgroup of patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Increased inflammation was associated with parkinsonism symptoms and more rapid disease progression. In addition, the results showed that cancer is rare in FTD, whereas some autoimmune diseases may be more common among FTD patients. These findings may indicate an overactive immune system in FTD.
Read moreScientists have developed a new and more accurate method to identify the molecular signs of cancer likely to be presented to helper T cells, which stimulate and orchestrate the immune response to tumors and infectious agents.
Read moreA heart attack is caused by a clot that blocks the artery blood flow. Under these conditions, the affected tissues undergo a rapid necrosis. But why? Scientists discovered that the synthesis of a lipid provokes the necrosis. This lipid accumulates in the absence of oxygen and blocks cellular functions. By inhibiting its synthesis in a mouse suffering a heart attack, the biologists were able to reduce the tissue damage by 30%.
Read moreCancer cells are masters at avoiding detection, but a new system can make them stand out from the crowd and help the immune system spot and eliminate tumors that other forms of immunotherapies might miss.
Read moreResearchers showed in animal models that the default injury response of spinal discs can be temporarily stopped to allow for better treatment.
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