UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER HOUSTON ― Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a novel strategy to reduce immune-related adverse events from immunotherapy treatment by targeting the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). The study, published today in Cancer Cell, establishes a proof of concept for combining immune checkpoint blockade with cytokine blockers to selectively...
Month: <span>May 2022</span>
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Wearable, inexpensive robotic sleeve for lymphedema treatment
by American Institute of Physics Images of the lymphedema sleeve (left) and a diagram of its components (right). The microfluidic chip sequentially inflates and deflates balloons, creating pressure and pushing fluid through the arm. Credit: Carolyn Ren Lymphedema often occurs in survivors of breast cancer, because they are at high risk for lymph node damage...
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Researchers discover a novel approach that could lead to the treatment of devastating brain tumors
by University of Surrey Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Findings from a seven-year research project suggests that there could be a new approach to treating one of the most common and devasting forms of brain cancer in adults—Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). In a peer-reviewed study published by BMC Cancer, scientists from the University of Surrey show that...
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Hope for 1st vaccine against virus driving ‘mono,’ cancers and maybe MS
by Dennis Thompson Two experimental vaccines show promise in protecting against infection with the “mono” virus, which also causes cancer and has been implicated as a potential trigger of multiple sclerosis, a new paper reports. Tested only in animals so far, the vaccines block two pathways by which the Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) takes root inside the body,...
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Exploring autoimmunity’s regulatory roots
by Mark Wanner, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Regulatory T cells in retroviral infections. Credit: Kim Hasenkrug, Dave Dorward and Austin Athman, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Our genome contains vast networks that regulate the activity of protein-coding genes. Variations in this regulatory DNA (which does not encode proteins) may...
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Booster immunization in same limb as the first shot yielded stronger adaptive immunity in mice
by Bob Yirka, Medical Xpress Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A collaboration between researchers at Duke University and Harvard Medical School has shown that mice receiving a booster shot in the same limb resulted in stronger adaptive immunity than a shot in another limb. In their paper published in the journal Science Immunology, the group describes their...
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Heart artery plaque immune cells cross-react with virus and vascular proteins, a potential cause of heart attack
by Amanda Chase, Stanford University Graphical abstract. Credit: Circulation Research (2022). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.320090 Researchers at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute have discovered how viruses like influenza and SARS-CoV-2 as well as their associated vaccines may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart inflammation, and other cardiovascular complications. “Although flu has long been associated with heart attack and...
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Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?
Written by Lindsey DeSoto, RDN, LD on April 30, 2022 — Fact checked by Hilary Guite, FFPH, MRCGPThis series of Special Features takes an in-depth look at the science behind some of the most debated nutrition-related topics, weighing in on the facts and debunking the myths. Design by Diego Sabogal. Breakfast literally means “to break the fast.” It is the first...
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Cells Act 30 Years Younger, Scientists Claim
BY MONIQUE BROUILLETTE MAY 6, 2022 STEFANIA PELFINI, LA WAZIYA PHOTOGRAPHYGETTY IMAGES Shinya Yamanaka won the Nobel Prize in 2012 for the discovery of his eponymous “Yamanaka factors,” which can revert cells to their embryonic state. The factors seemed promising for reversing signs of aging, but they reset the age of the cells too far back in time....
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Nanomaterial could enhance diabetes treatment
Conventional treatments for diabetes can increase the risk of neurological problems, an under-researched side effect. U.S. National Science Foundation-supported scientists based at The Ohio State University developed a nanomaterial that binds insulin to a group of amino acids that includes antioxidants. The nanomaterial improved glucose consumption, leading to better brain function. When compared to mice...