Recent Comments

    cancer cells tagged posts

    New research identifies gene that Hides Cancer cells from Immunotherapy

    July 20, 2019, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Highlights

    •The early embryonic transcription factor DUX4 is active in many human cancers
    •DUX4-expressing cancers are characterized by low anti-tumor immune activity
    •DUX4 blocks interferon-γ-mediated induction of MHC class I and antigen presentation
    •DUX4 is significantly associated with failure to respond to anti-CTLA-4 therapy

    A team at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified a gene that could make immunotherapy treatments, specifically checkpoint inhibitors, work for a wider variety of cancer patients. The study, published today in Developmental Cell, found that when the DUX4 gene is expressed in cancer cells, it can prevent the cancer from being recognized and destroyed by the immune system.

    The team, led by Drs...

    Read More

    Combination Immunotherapy shows high activity against recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma

    December 5, 2018, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Brentuximab vedotin mechanism of action.

    Brentuximab vedotin mechanism of action.

    A new combination of three drugs that harness the body’s immune system is safe and effective, destroying most cancer cells in 95% of patients with recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the results of an early-phase study.

    Presented Dec. 3 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Diego, the study in 19 men and women found that injections of ipilimumab (marketed as Yervoy), nivolumab (Opdivo), and brentuximab vedotin (ADCETRIS) safely decreased tumor size or spread to some degree in 18 patients after at least six months of treatment, with 16 patients showing complete disappearance (remission) of tumors. After nine months of treatment, 15 remained in complete remission with no sign of their cancer’s return (relapse).

    Resear...

    Read More

    Scientists Discover New role for RNA in Safeguarding human Chromosome Number

    December 26, 2015, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Dr. Joshua Mendell CREDIT UT Southwestern Medical Center

    Dr. Joshua Mendell CREDIT: UT Southwestern Medical Center

    A gene called NORAD has been found to help maintain the proper number of chromosomes in cells, and that when inactivated, causes the number of chromosomes in a cell to become unstable, a key feature of cancer cells.

    Previously, genes that encode the recipe for making proteins have been implicated in maintaining the proper number of chromosomes in a cell. The NORAD gene, however, does not encode a protein. Instead, NORAD produces a long noncoding RNA, a type of molecule that was not previously known to be important in chromosome maintenance.

    Researchers began studying this particular molecule because the RNA kicks into action after DNA is damaged; they therefore termed it Noncoding RNA Activated by DNA Damage, or NORAD.
    The scientist...

    Read More