Prolonged overactivity of killer T cells summoned to a tumor or infection site can render them useless to dispatch invaders, a cellular state immunologists call “exhaustion.” Credit: National Institutes of Health One reason we survive into adulthood is that cell-killing T cells usually recognize and eliminate cancerous or pathogen-infected cells. But prolonged overactivity of...
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Drug combination delivered by nanoparticles may help in melanoma treatment
Gavin Robertson, professor of pharmacology, pathology, dermatology, and surgery; director of the Penn State Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center and member of Penn State Cancer Institute, works with associates in the Melanoma Center. The first of a new class of medication that delivers a combination of drugs by nanoparticle may keep melanoma from becoming resistant...
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‘Google Earth’ for tumours could change cancer diagnostics and drug testing forever
This entry is part 12 of 16 in the series Grand Challenge Think of a tumour like a rapidly growing city within a patient’s body. Doctors can scan the patient to locate the tumour, much like a satellite can scan the earth and map its cities. And scientists can get a sense of the tumour at...
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Leukemia drug fends off cancer for a decade, study shows
The cancer drug Gleevec The cancer drug Gleevec appears to keep chronic myeloid leukemia at bay a decade into treatment — with no signs of additional safety risks, a new study finds. Gleevec — known generically as imatinib — was hailed as a “wonder drug” when it was introduced in 2001 for treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)....
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Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Cell Growth Impeded by Endostatin
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Failure of hormone deprivation therapy, which is used to slow prostate cancer in patients, leads to castration-resistant prostate cancer, a lethal form of advanced disease with limited treatment options. University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have discovered that endostatin, a naturally occurring protein in humans, can significantly decrease proliferation of castration-resistant prostate...
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Scientists stimulate immune system, stop cancer growth
Increasing expression of a chemical cytokine called LIGHT in mice with colon cancer activated the immune system’s natural cancer-killing T-cells and caused primary tumors and metastatic tumors in the liver to shrink. A chemical found in tumors may help stop tumor growth, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago...
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Obstacles Posed by the Tumor Microenvironment to T cell Activity: A Case for Synergistic Therapies
T cell dysfunction in solid tumors results from multiple mechanisms. Altered signaling pathways in tumor cells help produce a suppressive tumor microenvironment enriched for inhibitory cells, posing a major obstacle for cancer immunity. Metabolic constraints to cell function and survival shape tumor progression and immune cell function. In the face of persistent antigen, chronic T cell receptor...
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Could antidepressants stop prostate cancer from spreading?
In almost all cases where prostate cancer spreads to other areas of the body, the disease spreads to the bone first. In a new study, researchers reveal the discovery of an enzyme that helps prostate cancer cells to invade bone. Furthermore, certain antidepressant medications may have the potential to block this enzyme. Researchers suggest that...
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The intestine has a reservoir of stem cells that are resistant to chemotherapy
These comprise a small group of passive stem cells -quiescent- that are activated when needed and have the capacity to produce any kind of intestinal cell. Quiescent cells are relevant for tissue regeneration and for participation in tumor development After Chemotherapy, these cells change their behaviour, become active and regenerate all cell types in the...
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Vitamin C can target and kill cancer stem cells, study shows
Cancer is currently one of the top killers worldwide, and the number of cancer cases is only expected to rise. Although there are a number of therapies available, most of them are toxic and cause serious side effects. New research examines the impact of the natural vitamin C on cancer cell growth. In a recent...