PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Hot on the TRAIL of graft vs. host disease

2013-05-15
(Press-News.org) For patients with leukemia and other hematological malignancies, transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCT) can be a powerfully effective therapy. In addition to the desirable anti-tumor effect, transplanted cells can also attack the host tissue, resulting in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Arnab Ghosh and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that expression of a protein that causes cell death, TRAIL, in transplanted cells was critical for an effective anti-tumor response. Immune cells engineered to express higher levels of TRAIL killed the cells that cause GVHD and increased anti-tumor activity. In an accompanying commentary, Nelson Chao suggests that new therapeutics may take advantage of TRAIL-expressing cells to promote an anti-tumor response without putting patients at risk for GVHD.

INFORMATION:

TITLE: Fratricidal TRAIL+T cells suppress GVHD and augment anti-tumor activity after bone marrow transplantation

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Arnab Ghosh
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, , USA
Phone: 646-888-2317; E-mail: ghosha1@mskcc.org

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66301?key=66e50de3cd0d7e99a4d8

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY

TITLE: Blazing a new TRAIL in hematopoietic cell transplantation

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Nelson J. Chao
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919-668-1011; Fax: 919-668-1091; E-mail: chao0002@mc.duke.edu

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/69909?key=43f0101604c8f6bb12da

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers identify signals that direct the immune system to reject a transplanted organ

2013-05-15
Organ transplant rejection occurs when the transplant recipient's immune system identifies the transplanted organ as foreign tissue and attacks it. It was previously thought that T cells, the immune cells that mediate rejection, must first be activated by molecules known as chemokines in order to migrate to the transplanted organ. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Fadi Lakkis and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh used mice to demonstrate that chemokine stimulation of T cells is not required for migration. Instead, these cells must come into ...

JCI early table of contents for May 15, 2013

2013-05-15
Hot on the TRAIL of graft vs. host disease For patients with leukemia and other hematological malignancies, transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCT) can be a powerfully effective therapy. In addition to the desirable anti-tumor effect, transplanted cells can also attack the host tissue, resulting in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Arnab Ghosh and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that expression of a protein that causes cell death, TRAIL, in transplanted cells was critical for ...

Major advance provides human embryonic stem cells for personalized medicine

2013-05-15
VIDEO: Human ESCs generated from SCNT embryos were capable of differentiating into a variety of cell and tissue types including contracting heart cells. Click here for more information. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a technique in which the nucleus of a donor cell is transferred to an egg cell whose nucleus has been removed, generating embryos that are almost an identical genetic match to the donor individual. For the first time, a team of scientists has used ...

Long-term use of prescription painkillers for back pain linked to erectile dysfunction in men

2013-05-15
PORTLAND, Ore., May 15, 2013 – Regularly taking prescription painkillers, also known as opioids, is associated with a higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, according to a study published online today in the journal Spine. The researchers included more than 11,000 men with back pain in the study and examined their health records to find out if men taking prescription painkillers were more likely to also receive prescriptions for testosterone replacement or ED medications. More than 19 percent of men who took high-dose opioids for at least four months also ...

Orion's hidden fiery ribbon

2013-05-15
This dramatic new image of cosmic clouds in the constellation of Orion reveals what seems to be a fiery ribbon in the sky. This orange glow represents faint light coming from grains of cold interstellar dust, at wavelengths too long for human eyes to see. It was observed by the ESO-operated Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) in Chile. Clouds of gas and interstellar dust are the raw materials from which stars are made. But these tiny dust grains block our view of what lies within and behind the clouds -- at least at visible wavelengths -- making it difficult to observe ...

Don't judge the nutrient content of white vegetables by color alone

2013-05-15
(McLean, VA) May 15, 2013 – Potatoes and other white vegetables are just as important to a healthy diet as their colorful cousins in the produce aisle, according to the authors of a scientific supplement published yesterday in the peer-reviewed journal, Advances in Nutrition. Although green, red and orange veggies are often promoted as top nutrient sources, white vegetables are nutrient powerhouses in their own right and deserve a place on your plate. "It's recommended that the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed daily should include dark green and orange vegetables, ...

OHSU research team successfully converts human skin cells into embryonic stem cells

2013-05-15
PORTAND, Ore. – Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries. The research breakthrough, led by Shoukhrat ...

Study: Antibiotic stewardship program using mass spec system reduces hospital stays, costs

2013-05-15
Denver, Colorado – May 15, 2013 – A co-author of a groundbreaking study documenting reductions in patient length of stay and overall costs from implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program using Bruker's MALDI Biotyper will share her observations at a Bruker symposium to be held during the upcoming American Society for Microbiology (ASM) General Meeting. The study, which is currently available in an online edition1, showed that the average length of stay was reduced by two days for participants in the antibiotic stewardship intervention group and overall costs were ...

Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen

2013-05-15
This news release is available in German. Photographers know the problem all too well: with the naked eye, you can see which branch a bird is sitting on, but spotting the bird in the blur of branches through the telephoto lens for high-magnification images requires considerable skill. It is a similar story for researchers who are looking to study proteins, the active biomolecules of cells. Olga Schubert, a doctoral student at ETH Zurich's Institute for Molecular Systems Biology, and her colleagues have now come up with a search aid. In order to help scientists to ...

Pitt transplant experts challenge assumption, describe pathway that leads to organ rejection

2013-05-15
PITTSBURGH, May 15, 2013 – Transplant researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine challenge a long-held assumption about how biologic pathways trigger immune system rejection of donor organs in a report published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Their study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, suggests a different paradigm is needed to develop better anti-rejection therapies. Immune system troops called T-cells migrate to transplanted organs, fighting the foreign tissue, explained senior author Fadi Lakkis, M.D., Frank ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Making lighter work of calculating fluid and heat flow

Normalizing blood sugar can halve heart attack risk

Lowering blood sugar cuts heart attack risk in people with prediabetes

Study links genetic variants to risk of blinding eye disease in premature infants

Non-opioid ‘pain sponge’ therapy halts cartilage degeneration and relieves chronic pain

AI can pick up cultural values by mimicking how kids learn

China’s ecological redlines offer fast track to 30 x 30 global conservation goal

Invisible indoor threats: emerging household contaminants and their growing risks to human health

Adding antibody treatment to chemo boosts outcomes for children with rare cancer

Germline pathogenic variants among women without a history of breast cancer

Tanning beds triple melanoma risk, potentially causing broad DNA damage

Unique bond identified as key to viral infection speed

Indoor tanning makes youthful skin much older on a genetic level

Mouse model sheds new light on the causes and potential solutions to human GI problems linked to muscular dystrophy

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine ahead-of-print tip sheet: December 12, 2025

Smarter tools for peering into the microscopic world

Applications open for funding to conduct research in the Kinsey Institute archives

Global measure underestimates the severity of food insecurity

Child survivors of critical illness are missing out on timely follow up care

Risk-based vs annual breast cancer screening / the WISDOM randomized clinical trial

University of Toronto launches Electric Vehicle Innovation Ontario to accelerate advanced EV technologies and build Canada’s innovation advantage

Early relapse predicts poor outcomes in aggressive blood cancer

American College of Lifestyle Medicine applauds two CMS models aligned with lifestyle medicine practice and reimbursement

Clinical trial finds cannabis use not a barrier to quitting nicotine vaping

Supplemental nutrition assistance program policies and food insecurity

Switching immune cells to “night mode” could limit damage after a heart attack, study suggests

URI-based Global RIghts Project report spotlights continued troubling trends in worldwide inhumane treatment

Neutrophils are less aggressive at night, explaining why nighttime heart attacks cause less damage than daytime events

Menopausal hormone therapy may not pose breast cancer risk for women with BRCA mutations

Mobile health tool may improve quality of life for adolescent and young adult breast cancer survivors

[Press-News.org] Hot on the TRAIL of graft vs. host disease