Feature Channels: Immunology

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There has been much recent excitement about immunotherapy and the use of genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Historically, CAR T cell immunotherapy has aimed to boost the immune system by giving immune cells the information they need to better recognize tumor cells as foreign and attack them. New work led by Hans-Guido Wendel, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and collaborator Karin Tarte of the University of Rennes, France, illustrates an untapped potential of CAR T cells to act as targeted delivery vehicles that can function as “micro-pharmacies” for precise therapeutic delivery. Reported by an international team of researchers and set to publish online in Cell on September 29, this work both defines a critical lesion that leads to lymphoma development and identifies a potential new treatment modality.

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A leading authority on developing innovative immunotherapy treatments is Rush' new division chief of the Hematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy. Dr. Dr. Timothy Kuzel, a leading expert on cancer immunotherapies, will focus on continuing to assemble multidisciplinary teams to craft individualized treatments for each patient.

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Announcement of Neuro-Oncology Award given to Andrew Sloan, MD, by Congress of Neurological Surgery.

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists show that IRGB10, an essential protein induced by the signaling protein interferon, is needed to activate danger-sensing proteins in the cytoplasm of cells.

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A team at Seattle Children’s Research Institute came up with an idea to make a life-changing moment feel a little more personal for patients undergoing immunotherapy. A teddy bear wearing a mask and purple cape, aptly named T-Bear, is given to patients as they receive their re-engineered T cells to help recognize and destroy their cancer.

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized form of macrophage in mice; the immune cells survived chemotherapy and protected against life-threatening lung infections.

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Immunotherapy is a big change for head and neck cancer and there seems to be no doubt that there is activity for immunotherapies with pembrolizumab as well as nivolumab [Opdivo]” said Burtness, professor of Medicine at Yale Cancer Center.

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UC San Francisco scientists have engineered human immune cells that can precisely locate diseased cells anywhere in the body and execute a wide range of customizable responses, including the delivery of drugs or other therapeutic payloads directly to tumors or other unhealthy tissues. In experiments with mice, these immune cells, called synNotch T cells, efficiently homed in on tumors and released a specialized antibody therapy, eradicating the cancer without attacking normal cells.

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Mount Sinai researchers identify association between pediatric eczema and large abnormalities in non-lesional skin and multi T lymphocyte axes activation

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A Ludwig Cancer Research study published online September 5th in Nature Immunology illuminates a key requirement for the function of regulatory T cells—immune cells that play a critical role in many biological processes, from suppressing inflammation and deadly autoimmunity to helping tumors evade immune attack. The findings also unravel the complex role these cells can play in the genesis and progression of certain gastrointestinal cancers.

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Combining targeted radiation therapy with a neutrophil stimulant enhances anti-tumor immunity, according to new research into cancer immunology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

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'Training' immune cells boosts effectiveness in patients with AML

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Streptococcus pneumoniae likely is not a term immediately recognizable by most individuals, even if they have had unpleasant run-ins with the common bacterium. However, experts at Mississippi State University are pioneering pathways to new treatment options.

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A study by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has helped to de-mystify the molecular workings of the multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera®. The drug is the most widely prescribed pill-based therapy for MS, but its biological mechanism remains mysterious.

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In their most recent Annals of Oncology publication, Moffitt researchers sought to determine if patients with melanoma brain metastases treated with immune and targeted therapies had improved outcomes over patients treated with conventional chemotherapy. They retrospectively analyzed data from 96 patients with melanoma brain metastases who were treated with stereotactic radiation therapy within 3 months of different targeted therapies (anti–PD-1 therapy, anti–CTLA-4 therapy, BRAF inhibitor plus a MEK inhibitor, or a BRAF inhibitor alone) or conventional chemotherapy.

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Key opinion leaders, thyroid specialists, clinical and basic researchers, and young trainees will come together for five exciting and information-filled days of symposia, scientific presentations, and discussions on the latest advances in thyroidology and clinical management of thyroid disease as members of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) gather in Denver, Colorado for the 86th Annual Meeting of the ATA. With nearly 1300 registered attendees to date, and 395 regular abstracts and 77 late breaking abstracts submitted, the meeting promises to be an outstanding educational and networking opportunity.

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Global Biological Standards Institute (GBSI) gathers 100+ biomedical research experts from around the world next week at the scientifically historic Asilomar Conference Grounds in California for a workshop to discuss, define and vote on the first detailed standardized guidelines for validating research antibodies. Antibody Validation: Standards, Policies, and Practices will build upon the conceptual framework published September 5, in Nature Methods, in order to establish practical, applicable and implementable antibody validation guidelines. A webcast press briefing will present broad consensus-based outcomes September 28. Follow along on Twitter with #AbValidate.

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Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified a strategy to maximize the effectiveness of anti-cancer immune therapy. The researchers identified a molecular switch that controls immune suppression, opening the possibility to further improving and refining emerging immunotherapies that boost the body’s own abilities to fight diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s and Crohn’s disease.

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In a Perspective piece published this week in PNAS, cancer researchers from across the country, including faculty at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, write that a greater emphasis on immune-based prevention should be central to new efforts like the federal Cancer Moonshot program, headed by Vice President Joe Biden.

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Ladd was one of six patient advocates and researchers PhRMA cited for their tireless efforts to advance the treatment and care of patients with autoimmune diseases, a group of more than 100 diseases in which a person’s own immune system attacks the body’s healthy tissues and cells.

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Larry Jacob got the call every parent fears. His daughter was sick, away at college and needed help. Mr. Jacob left his home in the Chicago suburbs and was driving to Western Illinois University when he suddenly doubled over in pain. "I pulled on to the shoulder of the road, buckled over and began throwing up," the 51 year-old remembers. "Ironically, I was going to care for my daughter and now I was the one getting ill. I felt like an 800 pound elephant was sitting on my stomach."

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Leading pathologists will collaborate in Las Vegas to discuss the specialty's role in the promising area of immunotherapy, as well as several other health care issues at the annual meeting of the College of American Pathologists.

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Complimentary media registration packages are available for AMP's upcoming 2016 Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute shows that “holes” in HIV’s defensive sugar shield could be important in designing an HIV vaccine.

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With so much attention on coughs lately, do you ever wonder – when is a cough just a cough? When is it more? When is it something to really worry about? Allergist Bob Lanier, MD, executive director of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has answers for you.

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For the first time, scientists know what happens to a virus’ shape when it invades a host cell, thanks to an experiment by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Understanding how the virus shape specifically changes could lead to more effective anti-viral therapies.

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A factor found in umbilical cord blood could become the basis for developing new drugs to fight harmful inflammation, University of Utah School of Medicine researchers report. When given to mice, the newly discovered factor countered signs of inflammation and sepsis, such as fever, fluctuations in respiratory rate, and death. The factor circulates in the blood of newborns for about two weeks after birth and is not found in older babies or adults, according to the study published online Sept. 6, 2016, in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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Johns Hopkins researchers report evidence from mouse studies that a “repurposed” drug that would be expected to improve the immune system response of tuberculosis patients may be increasing resistance to the antibiotic drugs these patients must also take.

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As an arm of the innate immune system, white blood cells called neutrophils form the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Neutrophils spend most of their lives racing through the bloodstream, patrolling for bacteria or other foreign particles. Once they arrive at tissues besieged by infectious agents, they halt on a dime and then blast through the vessel wall to reach the inflammatory attack site.

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University of Colorado Cancer Center investigators unpack the mechanism of investigational drug, AMPI-109, showing its inactivation of PRL-3 flips an important switch on triple-negative breast cancer.

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Nonprofit devoted to cancer immunotherapy will honor the biotech company Amgen for its contributions to cancer immunotherapy treatment and patient education

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American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) announced today its August Autoimmune Heroes – the 46 Board members and advisors who have loyally and generously donated their time and talents to helping AARDA and its mission evolve and grow these last 25 years.

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Ellen Beswick, PhD, studies G-CSF, a protein that could be key in attacking cancers of the colon and rectum, and possibly other cancers, too. Beswick was recently awarded a $1.7 M grant to study how G-CSF reduces tumor growth and draws macrophages, T-cells and natural killer cells to the tumor.

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A type of sugar found naturally in some women's breast milk may protect new born babies from infection with a potentially life threatening bacterium called Group B streptococcus, according to a new study from Imperial College London.

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Researchers at the Stowers Institute have established a definitive link between the makeup of the microbiome, the host immune response, and an organism’s ability to heal itself.

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Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a five-year renewal program project grant totaling $9.7 million from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institute of Health, with the goal of better understanding the origins of Crohn's disease and eventually developing a cure.

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New research has shown how a cell surface molecule, Lymphotoxin β receptor, controls entry of T-cells into the thymus; and as such presents an opportunity to understanding why cancer patients who undergo bone-marrow transplant are slow to recover their immune system.

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Special RNA molecules called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key controllers for maintaining immune health when fighting infection or preventing inflammatory disorders.

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Researchers have created a nanovaccine that could make a current approach to cancer immunotherapy more effective while also reducing side effects.

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Expert can speak on the promise of vaccines to counter heroin addiction and broader efforts to address opioid addiction. Roger Crystal, M.D., CEO of Opiant Pharmaceuticals, has an interest in this area inspired by his company’s own efforts to develop opioid antagonist nasal sprays and other innovative formulations for the treatment of substance abuse disorders, addictive disorders and eating disorders.

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Biomedical investigators at Cedars-Sinai have identified an enzyme found in all human cells that alerts the body to invading bacteria and jump-starts the immune system. In their study, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Cell, the investigators provide clues to unraveling some of the mysteries surrounding the human immune system, which defends the body against harmful microbes such as bacteria.

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A study from Emory AIDS researchers shows how the expected disease severity when someone is newly infected by HIV reflects a balance between the virus' invisibility to the host's immune system and its ability to reproduce.

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Investigators at UAB have identified an intriguing potential treatment target for the most common form of Guillain-Barré syndrome. In a new study, the authors offer evidence of a crucial pathogenic role for a molecule that is associated with AIDP, the most common variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

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A growing body of research points to the involvement of inflammation and the immune system on the development of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular physiologists and immunologists will meet to explore how these mechanisms interact at the Inflammation, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease conference in Westminster, Colo., on Aug. 24–27, 2016.

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The National Institutes of Health has awarded Dr. Luis Martinez of New York Institute of Technology a $431,700 three-year grant to investigate, in mice, methamphetamine's effects on the underlying biological mechanisms that cause inflammation and impair wound healing. Martinez hopes his findings can form the foundation for new studies on human subjects that might lead to targeted prevention and wound management.

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Monroe Clinic hospitalist, Kate Kinney, is one of three medical professionals to earn the 2016 Vasculitis Foundation V-RED Award honoring her early diagnosis of a rare, autoimmune vasculitis disease. Kinney and her team's early identification of the illness allowed the patient to begin critical treatment before any further organ damage could occur.

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In the late 1800s, William B. Coley created a concoction out of bacteria and injected it into cancer patients. The first patient treated with what became known as “Coley’s Toxins” — a 21-year-old man with an inoperable tumor — was cured of his cancer. Though that might not have been the very first foray into immunotherapy as cancer treatment, it certainly was one of the earliest. Coley spent decades studying how bacterial infections affected cancers, earning him the moniker of the “father of immunotherapy.” Since then, the field has come a long way.

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Four leading cancer research organizations will host a conference dedicated to the latest in cancer immunotherapy.

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A new drug therapy for peripheral T-cell lymphoma has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA and the University of Louisville will be the site of first-in-human study