Bioengineers 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 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.
Read moreInvestigators recently developed a phototherapy strategy that was highly effective for removing carbon monoxide in rats.
Read moreAs tumor cells multiply, they often spawn tens of thousands of genetic mutations. Figuring out which ones are the most promising to target with immunotherapy is like finding a few needles in a haystack. Now a new model hand-picks those needles so they can be leveraged in more effective, customized cancer vaccines.
Read moreA new study shows that smoking even a few cigarettes a day is harmful to lungs and that former smokers continue to lose lung function at a faster rate than never-smokers for decades after quitting.
Read moreA research group has discovered a novel cancer-driving mutation in the vast non-coding regions of the human cancer genome, also known as the 'dark matter' of human cancer DNA.
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