In the global quest for effective cancer treatments, researchers are uncovering promising strategies in the most unexpected of places: the very viruses we typically strive to avoid. Pathogens such as the common cold and influenza, once seen solely as threats to our health, are now being studied for their potential to target and destroy cancer … Read more
Immunotherapy represents a revolutionary approach to disease treatment that harnesses the power of the immune system to combat various ailments, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, and allergies. Unlike traditional treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery, which directly target the disease, immunotherapy works by stimulating or enhancing the body’s immune response to recognize and destroy … Read more
Cancer is a complex group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. It can affect virtually any part of the body and is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The genetics of cancer play a crucial role in understanding its causes, development, progression, and potential treatments. Genetic Basis of … Read more
Scientists from Scripps Research have enhanced an existing immunotherapy by removing the sugar coating surrounding solid tumors—such as in melanoma, breast, and prostate cancer—so T cells can more effectively kill tumor cells. They report in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering that this tweak allows T cells to get closer to their targets, which dramatically improves T-cell killing of tumor … Read more
Cancer cells can change shape to travel around the body and spread (metastasize), but how they know when to do this has remained elusive. Researchers have now used a new technique to identify two genes that control how melanoma skin cancer cells change shape in response to their environment—offering two potential drug targets to stop … Read more
In a series of groundbreaking experiments involving lab-grown brain cells and mouse models, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have unveiled a fascinating discovery concerning a cell surface protein known as Lag3. Not only does Lag3 serve as a biological target for FDA-approved drugs that bolster the immune system’s ability to combat cancer, but it also … Read more
Successful immunotherapy for cancer involves activating a person’s own T cells to identify telltale proteins called antigens on the surface of a tumor and attack it. But some tumors have a trick: They hide themselves from the immune system by preventing their antigens from being displayed. A team led by Harvard Medical School researchers at … Read more
Scientists at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have built and demonstrated the potential efficacy of a new chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell-based immunotherapy specifically designed to treat patients with cutaneous and rare subtypes of melanoma. CAR T-cell therapy uses genetically engineered versions of a patient’s immune cells to target and destroy cancer cells. … Read more
University of Chicago researchers have unveiled a promising discovery: trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), a long-chain fatty acid present in meat and dairy from grazing animals like cows and sheep, enhances CD8+ T cells’ ability to penetrate tumors and eliminate cancer cells. Their study, “Trans-vaccenic acid reprograms CD8+ T cells and anti-tumor immunity,” published in Nature, reveals … Read more
Patients diagnosed with melanoma, a serious type of skin cancer, often face challenges with existing immunotherapies. More than 50% of patients don’t respond to current treatments, and even those who initially do might become resistant over time. To address this, doctors not only aim to develop better immunotherapies but also need methods to predict patient … Read more
In a groundbreaking clinical trial published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute, the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), and the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) have made a significant discovery. They found that fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) from healthy donors can be safely used and hold promise in … Read more
Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, in collaboration with the University of Lausanne, have made an intriguing discovery regarding the utilization of uridine as an energy source for cells. They have found that cells can process uridine from RNA in a manner similar to how they metabolize sugar when glucose is scarce, … Read more