immunotherapy tagged posts

Novel Treatment makes Pancreatic Cancer Susceptible to Immunotherapy, mouse study shows

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that blocking a major inflammatory pathway in pancreatic cancer makes the tumors sensitive to chemotherapy and a type of immunotherapy that helps the immune system’s T cells to attack cancer cells. Above, pancreatic cancer cells are shown in green. T cells are in red.

Washington University to lead national clinical trial investigating therapy. A new study – in mice – suggests that blocking a major inflammatory pathway that is activated in pancreatic cancer makes the tumors sensitive to chemotherapy and a type of immunotherapy that prompts the immune system’s T cells to attack the cancer cells. The therapy more than doubled survival in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most...

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‘Drug factory’ Implants Eliminate Ovarian, Colorectal Cancer in Mice

Rice University bioengineers Amanda Nash (left) and Omid Veiseh with vials of bead-like “drug factories” they created to treat cancer. The beads are designed to continuously produce natural compounds that program the immune system to attack tumors. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Immunotherapy treatment could begin human clinical trials this year. Rice University bioengineers have shown they can eradicate advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days with a treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials later this year.

The researchers used implantable “drug factories” the size of a pinhead to deliver continuous, high doses of interleukin2, a natural compound that activates white blood cells to fight cancer...

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For Children, Young Adults with Recurrent AML, Immunotherapy Shows Promise

GARA ELIZABETH PHOTOGRAPHYResearchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown, in a small clinical trial, that pre-activated natural killer cells can help some children and young adults with recurrent AML and few other treatment options. Pictured is Weston Robinett, 3, a patient who received this investigational therapy at Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. He remains in remission more than two years after treatment.

Natural killer cells could help young patients with few treatment options. An immunotherapy harnessing the immune system’s “natural killer” cells has proven effective in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in some adults whose cancers return...

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Antidepressants Inhibit Cancer Growth in Mice

SSRIs and other serotonin blockers cause immune cells to recognize tumor cells again and eliminate them efficiently. (Bild: istock.com/Design Cells)

Classic antidepressants could help improve modern cancer treatments. They slowed the growth of pancreatic and colon cancers in mice, and when combined with immunotherapy, they even stopped the cancer growth long-term. In some cases the tumors disappeared completely, researchers at UZH and USZ have found. Their findings will now be tested in human clinical trials.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is also known as the happiness hormone because of its beneficial effects on mood. In depressed people, the concentration of serotonin in the brain is reduced. The hormone also influences many other functions throughout the body...

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