John Morris, M.D. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that a cancer stem cell vaccine, engineered to express a pro-inflammatory protein called interleukin-15 (IL-15) and its receptor (IL-15Ralpha), caused T cell production in animal models and enhanced immune responses against tumors. This T cell production showed a cellular immune response that could lead to new...
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Advanced prostate cancer treatment failure due to cell reprogramming
Micrograph showing prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma (the most common form of prostate cancer) Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have discovered a molecular mechanism that reprograms tumor cells in patients with advanced prostate cancer, reducing their response to anti-androgen therapy. The findings, based on a study in mice, could help to determine which patients should...
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A new unexpected key player in melanoma development identified
Melanoma in skin biopsy with H&E stain — this case may represent superficial spreading melanoma. Identification and functional validation of proteins involved in tumorigenesis are essential steps toward advancing cancer precision medicine. In the Journal of Clinical Investigation researchers from VIB, KU Leuven (Belgium) together with colleagues from INSERM (France) now report the important role for...
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Some lung cancer patients benefit from immunotherapy even after disease progression
Some advanced lung cancer patients benefit from immunotherapy even after the disease has progressed as evaluated by standard criteria, according to research presented at the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC).1 The findings pave the way for certain patients to continue treatment if the disease is not progressing according to new, more specific, criteria. The Response Evaluation...
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Platelets suppress T cell immunity against cancer
Stylized illustration of a platelet and T cell. Plus and negative signs are used to symbolically indicate the positive (clotting) and negative (downregulating T cell immunity) effects of platelets. Blood platelets help disguise cancer from the immune system by suppressing T cells, report scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the...
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TIAM1 Antagonizes TAZ/YAP Both in the Destruction Complex in the Cytoplasm and in the Nucleus to Inhibit Invasion of Intestinal Epithelial Cells
Highlights TIAM1 is part of the WNT-regulated destruction complex regulating TAZ/YAP stability WNT induces TIAM1 nuclear translocation where it reduces TAZ/YAP-TEAD interaction Nuclear TIAM1 blocks the TAZ/YAP genetic program inhibiting migration of CRC cells Nuclear TIAM1 predicts good prognosis in CRC Summary Aberrant WNT signaling drives colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we identify TIAM1 as a...
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A New Gene Therapy Cure Just Treated Its First-Ever Patient
Rarefied Cures This March, child with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) became the second commercial gene therapy patient ever. The patient started receiving a drug called Strimvelis from GlaxoSmithKline — a drug that appears to be able to cure the rare, inherited immune disorder SCID. The drug was approved for use in commercial gene therapy in May of 2016,...
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With stem cells to new intervertebral discs
IMAGE: UZH RESEARCHERS DEMONSTRATE ON GERMAN SHEPHERDS THAT A TREATMENT WITH THE BODY’S OWN STEM CELLS ARE WELL TOLERATED It is the “shock absorber” between the vertebrae of the spine, cushioning every step, bend and jump: the intervertebral disc. If the fibrocartilage tissue in the spine degenerates over time, an intervertebral disc can “slip” –...
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Wound healing: The stem cell dynamic
Researchers at the Université libre de Bruxelles, ULB define for the first time the changes in the stem cell dynamics that contribute to wound healing. One of the key questions in biology is to identify how tissues are repaired after trauma and understand how stem cells migrate, proliferate, and differentiate to repair tissue damage. In...
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It’s all in the math: New tool provides roadmap for cell development
Topological representation of four cellular populations during motor neuron differentiation. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have created a new tool to describe the many possible ways in which a cell may develop. Rooted in the mathematical field of topology, the tool provides a roadmap that offers detailed insight into how stem cells give rise...