Feature Channels: Immunology

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Giving patients with operable pancreatic cancers a three-pronged combination immunotherapy treatment consisting of the pancreatic cancer vaccine GVAX, the immune checkpoint therapy nivolumab and urelemab, an anti-CD137 agonist antibody treatment, is safe, it increases the amount of cancer-killing immune system T cells in the tumors and it appears effective when given two weeks prior to cancer-removal surgery, according to new research directed by Johns Hopkins investigators.

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Inflammations of the paranasal sinuses represent a common clinical picture. The annual prevalence of chronic sinusitis in Europe is up to 10%.

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As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surges in young children occurred outside the usual November to March season, when immune-based prophylactic is available to protect children at high risk for severe illness.

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Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women and the primary cause of cancer death among Hispanic women, according to the National Cancer Institute. The Center of Emphasis in Cancer focuses on forms of the disease prevalent in our majority-Hispanic Borderplex, seeking new strategies for the prevention and treatment of the deadly disease.

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A multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Ángel R. Nebreda, Dr. María J. Macías and Dr. Modesto Orozco, all at IRB Barcelona, has developed a new type of p38 inhibitor, which preferentially impairs one of the activation pathways of this protein. In particular, these inhibitors block the self-activation (or autophosphorylation) of p38 but allow it to continue to be activated by other mechanisms.

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New research suggests that targeting autoimmune inflammation associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using two drugs, one of them already approved for multiple sclerosis, could be a promising approach for treatment.

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Together, Notre Dame's Paul Bohn and Joshua Shrout are searching for new ways to observe microorganisms like P. aeruginosa, moving beyond the traditional process of observing cell cultures grown in a Petri dish.

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Though antibiotics can treat leprosy, researchers are concerned about the increase in drug-resistant strains. Now, a team reporting in ACS Central Science has begun to understand the role certain immune receptors play in leprosy, which could lead to new types of treatments for this disease.

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A new analysis finds that up to millions of dollars could be saved annually on cancer immunotherapy treatments across the Veterans Health Administration by reconsidering how those drugs are delivered.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene called Lipe that appears to be pivotal to retinal health, with mutations spurring immune activation and retinal degeneration. This is important because the retina is responsible for detecting the light that is transformed into vision. The findings, published in Communications Biology, provide clues about the mechanisms behind a variety of disorders affecting the retina, including macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

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Through joint research with the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials(KIMM), the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) developed a 3D bioprinting technology using natural killer cells (NK cells) as a new method of immunotherapy for treating cancer.

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A Ludwig Cancer Research study has discovered that the presence of relatively high numbers of immune cells known as monocytes in tumors is linked to better outcomes in esophageal cancer patients treated with a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, or immunochemotherapy.

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With new cases of malaria being reported in Texas and Florida, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center continue to explore compounds for more effective drug-resistant therapies and biological targets to interfere with the parasites that spread the potentially fatal disease.

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Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center research findings and other news. If you’re looking for resources who can comment on skin cancer awareness and skin protection during the summer months, see our list of experts and reach out to [email protected] to set up interviews.

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In a new study, National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers found that altered B cell function in children with mitochondrial disorders led to a weaker and less diverse antibody response to viral infections.

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Prof. Pol.Capt. Pharm. Dr. Suchada Sukrong, lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a researcher at the Center of Excellence in DNA Barcoding of Thai Medicinal Plants, Chulalongkorn University, Dr. Kannika Thongkhao, and Pharm. Chayaphol Tangpatthong have won the gold medal and two Special Awards, namely the FIRI Award in the Best Invention category from “The first institute of inventors and researchers of Iran” (FIRI), Iran, and a Special Awards from “The Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic the Czech Metallurgical Society,” The Czech Republic, in The 16th International Invention and Innovation Show (INTARG 2023) on May 24-25, 2023, at Katowice International Conference Center, Katowice, Republic of Poland, with their “Rapid DNA immunochromatographic assay for detection of toxic Aristolochia species, the plants responsible for aristolochic acid nephropathy”.

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in collaboration with researchers at the National Institutes of Health, report that two new studies in mice with a humanized immune system and human cell lines have identified an enzyme that plays a critical role in the late stages of HIV replication.

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Researchers continue to refine and improve targeted drug therapies that have changed the most common form of adult leukemia – from an incurable to a chronic condition. New data published in the New England Journal of Medicine offers another treatment option for patients who have stopped responding to the first and second generation drugs.

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Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey has treated its first patient using genetically modified T-cells that were manufactured in its own state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility.

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Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found that altering amounts of the nutrient glutamine in the tumor microenvironment could enhance or impair the immune system’s anti-cancer response.

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Long Covid, which affects nearly two-million people in the UK (1), is not caused by an immune inflammatory reaction to COVID-19, University of Bristol-led research finds. Emerging data demonstrates that immune activation may persist for months after COVID-19.

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A roundup of the latest medical discoveries and faculty news at Cedars-Sinai for June 2023.

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AAI announces new president

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Research in mice shows gut bacteria feed on common fatty acids, and the byproduct of this process stimulates the rise of immune cells in the gut.

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An experimental antibody treatment largely prevented a bone marrow transplant complication called graft versus host disease (GVHD) in the intestines, without causing broad immune suppression, in a preclinical study led by researchers from Penn Medicine and Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and published today in Science Translational Medicine.

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AAI announces new CFOO

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A study of more than 22,000 people with multiple sclerosis has discovered the first genetic variant associated with faster disease progression, which can rob patients of their mobility and independence over time.

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Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have developed a nanoparticle — an extremely tiny biodegradable container — that has the potential to improve the delivery of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based vaccines for infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and vaccines for treating non-infectious diseases including cancer.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention.

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AAI Receives Top Award in Association Communications

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A new study by researchers in the UNC School of Medicine, including Meghan Rebuli, PhD, Ilona Jaspers, PhD, and Kevin T. Cao, lead author, has found that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination induces an immune response in the mucosal lining of the nasal cavity, offering new insights into potential vaccine strategies in the future.

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July 4th festivities mean those with allergies and asthma need to take a few extra precautions to make sure their holiday is safe, and sneeze- and wheeze-free.

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Scientists at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified potential new biomarkers that could indicate how someone diagnosed with metastatic melanoma will respond to immunotherapy treatment.

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Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized treatment of many forms of cancer by unleashing the immune system response against tumors. Immunotherapies that block checkpoint receptors like PD-1, proteins that limit the capacity of T cells to attack tumors, have become the choice for the treatment of numerous types of solid cancer.

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A combination of radiotherapy followed by immunotherapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of oral malignant melanomas in dogs.

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A laboratory at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) has been issued a major grant to repurpose drugs to combat non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), an emerging family of germs naturally found in soil and water and which can be deadly to those with compromised immune systems and pre-existing lung diseases.

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The American Association of Immunologists (AAI), Inc., announced today it has been recognized by ASAE with its highest honor for excellence in association communications: the 2023 Gold Circle Awards Overall Excellence Winner.

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A team led by researchers at Harvard Medical School has developed a new tool that promises to improve the way pathologists see and evaluate a tumor by providing detailed clues about the cancer.

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As men age, some of their cells lose the very thing that makes them biological males—the Y chromosome—and this loss hampers the body’s ability to fight cancer, according to new research from Cedars-Sinai Cancer.

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Researchers in New York and Texas have identified that female marmosets are more likely to transmit the Zika virus during pregnancy if they have been previously infected by a different virus, dengue.

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PHILADELPHIA — (June 20, 2023) — When cancer that starts in the body metastasizes to the brain, it is almost always lethal, in part because so few treatment options exist. Now a new study by Wistar scientists published in Nature Communications shows that a type of brain cell called astrocytes plays an important role in promoting brain metastasis by recruiting a specific subpopulation of immune cells.

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