In recent years, immunotherapy, a new form of cancer therapy that rouses the immune system to attack tumor cells, has captivated the public’s imagination. When it works, the results are breathtaking. But more often than not it doesn’t, and scientists still don’t know why.
Researchers have discovered a clue that could unlock the potential of immunotherapy drugs to successfully treat more cancers. The findings, published in Cell, were made in mice and showed that targeting a sub-population of immune cells called regulatory T cells could be an effective approach to treating cancers. The findings also point to what could be an important mechanism by which current immunotherapy drugs work, providing clues to making them more effective.
Being able to quiet active neutrophils with a dual-beam laser could lead to new treatments for lung injury.
Almost 6,000 new cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, are expected to be diagnosed this year in the United States. Scientists have found up to 30 percent of adult ALL patients have what’s called a Philadelphia chromosome, where two segments of chromosomes have aberrantly fused together. Adult ALL patients exposed to standard treatments often see high relapse rates, and treatment-related deaths remain high. But researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered new science, published this week in the journal Leukemia, that could provide better therapeutic options for patients.
In an expanded, three-year clinical trial of 86 patients with colorectal and 11 other kinds of cancer that have so-called 'mismatch repair' genetic defects, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy have found that half of the patients respond to an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab (Keytruda).
Profs. Michal Schwartz and Ido Amit at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a unique immune cell type whose regulated activation may form the foundation of a future treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
Patients who receive the standard surgical treatment for melanoma that has spread to one or more key lymph nodes do not live longer, a major new study shows.
Houston Methodist is launching the Center for Immunotherapy Research under the leadership of Shu-Hsia Chen, Ph.D., a cancer immunotherapy researcher recruited from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Hitachi Healthcare Americas Corporation, have today announced that they have entered into an agreement to collaborate on research for a unique randomized clinical trial comparing the outcomes and side-effects of intensity-modulated proton beam therapy (IMPT) versus intensity-modulated photon therapy (IMRT) for the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer of the head and neck.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have created a nanoparticle that carries two different antibodies capable of simultaneously switching off cancer cells' defensive properties while switching on a robust anticancer immune response in mice. Experiments with the tiny, double-duty "immunoswitch" found it able to dramatically slow the growth of mouse melanoma and colon cancer and even eradicate tumors in test animals, the researchers report.
Day-long endurance event starting at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, focused on cancer immunotherapy research
Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a natural sugar called trehalose revs up the immune system’s cellular housekeeping abilities. These souped-up housecleaners then are able to reduce atherosclerotic plaque that has built up inside arteries. Such plaques are a hallmark of cardiovascular disease and lead to an increased risk of heart attack.
Dr. Kunle Odunsi of Roswell Park Cancer Institute presented an update about an ongoing clinical trial involving T-cell engineering to treat advanced ovarian cancer at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Roswell Park and OmniSeq report that a custom algorithm they developed based on a 54-gene signature accurately predicted response to anti-PD-L1 treatment in 90% of the cases they analyzed.
A research study led by University of Minnesota engineers gives new insight into how cancer cells move based on their ability to sense their environment. The discovery could have a major impact on therapies to prevent the spread of cancer. The same research also could be used to improve regenerative medicine.
Scientists recognized for seminal discoveries in cancer’s ability to thwart immune surveillance that paved the way to immune-based cancer therapies
The study tested the efficacy of tildrakizumab, an antibody that targets only a very specific immune system pathway. More than 60 percent of all patients who received the active medication showed improvement, compared to less than 10 percent of patients who received placebos.
A recent study by Yale Cancer Center researchers revealed a 41% response to the antibody drug, enfortumab vedotin, by metastatic urothelial (mUC) tumors in a phase I clinical trial
Immunotherapy trial in metastatic triple negative breast cancer patients proves to shrink tumors in patients.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (durvalumab/MEDI4736) with chemotherapy as a preoperative treatment shows promise in early stage TNBC.
The critical component of an experimental vaccine led to an escalating immune response in patients with sarcoma, an indicator of its potential anti-cancer effects. The findings will be presented by Dr. Seth Pollack, a physician-scientist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, June 5 in a poster at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Changes in immune activity appear to signal a growing brain tumor five years before symptoms arise, new research has found.
Combining two checkpoint inhibitors, drugs that remove inhibitory signals and restore the immune system’s ability to fight cancer, may be effective in shrinking melanoma tumors or preventing their growth in some patients who previously received standard therapy, according to new research results from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute. (ASCO Abstract 9520).
Cancer Immunotherapy Month in June to feature educational and awareness programming for patients, caregivers, and the public
The American Cancer Society estimates more than 95,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year. Dr. Charles Fuchs at Yale Cancer Center discusses way to prevent the disease.
Moffitt researchers have developed a test called the radiosensitivity index that determines how sensitive a patient’s tumor is to radiation therapy. The radiosensitivity index is based on the expression of different genes in a patient’s tumor and has been validated in 9 different patient groups across different tumor types.
Combining the kinase inhibitor ibrutinib with an investigational personalized cellular therapy known as CTL119 can lead to complete remission in patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC). The team will present the results from its pilot study of this combination therapy during the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (Abstract # 193355).
A novel vaccine therapy can generate immune responses in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCCa), according to researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The treatment specifically targets human papillomavirus (HPV), which is frequently associated with HNSCCa, to trigger the immune response. Researchers will present the results of their pilot study during the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract #6073).
Ludwig Cancer Research released today the full scope of Ludwig’s participation at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, June 2-6.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology has named University of Pennsylvania cancer and HIV gene therapy pioneer Carl June, MD, as the 2017 winner of the David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award. The honor goes to an oncologist who has made outstanding contributions to cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment. In addition to receiving the award, June will give the Karnofsky Lecture on Saturday, June 3, during the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual meeting in Chicago.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have made a breakthrough in the understanding of how our genetic make-up can impact on the activity of the immune system and our ability to fight cancer.
Combo of T-cell therapy, newly FDA-approved drug and another immunotherapeutic agent kept cancer at bay for three out of four patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. The findings will be presented June 5 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report new evidence that immune cells infected with a latent form of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are able to proliferate, replenishing the reservoir of virus that is resistant to antiretroviral drug therapy. Although HIV can be controlled with therapy in most cases, the proliferation of such reservoir cells pose a persistent barrier to developing a cure for HIV, researchers say.
The combination of pembrolizumab and the checkpoint inhibitor known as epacadostat is leading to promising responses and is generally well tolerated in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, squamous cell cancer of the head and neck, and several other cancers, according to researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Their findings also showed that adding pembrolizumab to standard therapies for breast cancer improved the number of patients achieving a pathological complete response.
Scientists could be one step closer to developing long-awaited vaccines against viruses such as Zika, West Nile or HIV, thanks to research at Penn State College of Medicine.
Changing natural electrical signaling in non-neural cells improves innate immune response to bacterial infections and injury. Tadpoles that received therapeutics, including those used in humans for other purposes, which depolarized their cells had higher survival rates when infected with E. coli than controls. The research has applications for treatment of emerging diseases and traumatic injury in humans.
A new study by UCLA scientists has found that the breakthrough immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab can be more effective in improving survival in people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) if they have previously received radiation therapy, compared to those without a history of radiation treatment.
With the drastic increase in the number of unusual dolphin strandings and deaths along the southeastern coast of the U.S. and elsewhere, finding specific antibodies to test, monitor and document their immune health is critical.
A study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting on June 5 in Chicago shows that asymptomatic women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer often undergo advanced imaging and other tests that provide little if any medical benefit, could have harmful effects and may increase their financial burden.
A team of researchers from the University of Delaware have discovered how to label and light the sugar backbone of a bacterial cell wall. The findings will advance immune system research.
A new study led by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute establishes a connection between a sedentary lifestyle and risk of developing kidney or bladder cancer.
ISPOR hosted a morning session at its 22nd Annual International Meeting in Boston, MA, USA that examined cost-effectiveness models for innovative oncology treatments.
The identification of 16 additional genetic markers will help researchers get closer to understanding how — and why — psoriasis develops.
If every cell in our body is a factory, viruses are industrial spies who try to break in and take over. New findings about how one of the most mysterious types of spy – polyomaviruses -- accomplishes this feat could aid the fight against Merkel cell carcinoma, and diseases in organ transplant and cancer patients.
A Chicago-area family with a deep commitment to supporting science and medicine is giving $100 million to establish The Duchossois Family Institute at the University of Chicago Medicine, which seeks to accelerate research and interventions based on how the human immune system, microbiome and genetics interact to maintain health.
data from four early-phase immunotherapy combination trials will be presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual meeting in Chicago on June 5, 2017.
Immune diseases like multiple sclerosis and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis unleash destructive waves of inflammation on the body, causing death or a lifetime of illness and physical impairment. With safe and effective treatments in short supply, scientists report in PNAS Early Edition (Proceeding of the National Academy of Science) discovery of an experimental treatment that targets an Achilles heel of activated immune cells – killing them off and stopping autoimmune damage.
Superficially, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis may appear similar but their commonalities are only skin deep. Atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, is primarily driven by an allergic reaction, while psoriasis is considered an autoimmune disease. Nevertheless, researchers at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology were able to pinpoint a common driver of skin inflammation in both diseases.
Two T cell biomarkers appear to predict the survival trajectory of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung disease that has a varied, but ultimately devastating, impact on patients, according to new research presented at the ATS 2017 International Conference.
A new clinical trial provides a new option for kidney cancer patients and adds to Rush’s wider research efforts towards identifying immune system biomarkers to better predict which immunotherapy will work best for individuals no matter which cancer they’re fighting.
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