Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, taking half a million lives each year. CAR T technology has successfully harnessed the human immune system to produce awe-inspiring cancer remission rates. CRISPR-mediated genome engineering has enabled new developments in CAR T cells to bypass logistical, technical, and immunological roadblocks, making the
A novel form of macrophage-based immunotherapy is effective at treating a broad spectrum of cancers, including those at advanced stages, according to a groundbreaking study led by Georgia State immunology professor Yuan Liu. Liu’s treatment works by leveraging macrophages, specialized white blood cells involved in the detection and elimination of cancer cells and other pathogens. Macrophages also activate
Immunotherapy has unleashed a revolution in care for some cancer patients. But most immunotherapies help only a small subset of patients, meaning doctors often have to resort to a trial-and-error process to determine who might actually benefit from the novel treatments. Now, scientists have developed a new metric they believe can help predict whether patients will respond
The immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab may be a safe and effective treatment for people with advanced gastric or esophagogastric junction cancer who failed standard chemotherapy regimens, results from a Phase 3 clinical trial suggest. A three-year survival analysis of the trial, called ATTRACTION-2 (NCT02267343), showed that the treatment significantly extended patients’ lives and the time they
CAR T-cell therapy is a highly promising treatment strategy for tumors, but is associated with life-threatening side effects. Researchers at EPFL, UNIL and CHUV have developed a new way to “switch off” the therapy when a cancer patient’s life is in danger, paving the way for safer immunotherapy approaches to target solid tumors. Immunotherapy, unlike
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have identified a new potential strategy for boosting the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. Studies in gene knockout mice, carried out in collaboration with a team at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, suggested that a protein known as Siah2 is involved in the control of T
Source Targeted Oncology The clinical development and application of cancer immunotherapy over the past decade has translated the long-standing knowledge of the close relationship between cancerous tissues and lymphoid immune cells, dating back to the late 19th century.1,2 Today, cancer immunotherapies, all of which recruit the body’s own immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells,
Immunotherapy has become a standard treatment approach for several types of cancer, including melanoma. However, tumors can escape immune cell detection even with the use of immunotherapies. In a new study published in Cancer Immunology Research, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers, in collaboration with the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, describe a cellular mechanism that controls tumor cell
The European Commission (EC) has approved a combination regimen of Bavencio (avelumab) injections plus Inlyta (axitinib) tablets for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the most common type of kidney cancer. The combination can be used in patients regardless of their predicted prognosis and PD-L1 status. The EC’s decision followed a positive recommendation issued in September by the Committee for Medicinal
The immune system is very effective against invading pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, as well as cancer cells that arise through genetic mutation. The activity of the immune system must be kept in check, however, to maintain homeostasis and avoid the development of autoimmune conditions. The immunosuppressive mechanisms that accomplish this can be co-opted
