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

A leap forward in research on CAR T cell therapy

Cellular engineering makes it possible to target the therapy also against solid tumors

2021-03-18
(Press-News.org) In cancer immunotherapy, cells in the patient's own immune system are activated to attack cancer cells. CAR T cell therapy has been one of the most significant recent advances in immunotherapies targeted at cancer.

In CAR T cell therapy, T cells are extracted from the patient for genetic modification: a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is transported into the cells using a viral vector, helping the T cells better identify and kill cancer cells. When the antigen receptor cells identify the desired surface structure in the patient's cells, they start multiplying and killing the target cells.

CAR T cell therapy was introduced to Finland in 2018, and the treatment form has been used in support of patients suffering from leukaemia and lymphomas.

So far, the application of CAR T cell therapy to solid tumours has been difficult: targeting the therapy at just the tumour is difficult when the cancer type is not associated with any specific surface structure. In many cancer types, there is an abundance of a specific protein on the tumour's surface, but as the protein also occurs in low numbers in normal tissue, CAR T cell therapy is not able to discriminate between target protein levels. This is why genetically modified cells are quick to attack also healthy cells and organs, which can result in fatal adverse effects associated with the treatment.

A study recently published in the Science journal has found a solution to applying CAR T cell therapy to solid tumours as well: through collaboration, American and Finnish researchers identified a new way of programming CAR T cells so that they only kill cancer cells, leaving alone healthy cells that have the same marker protein as cancer cells.

New technique based on ultrasensitive identification of HER2 cells, further investigation underway

HER2 is a protein characteristic of, among others, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and abdominal cancers. The protein can also occur in great numbers on the surface of tumour cells, since, as a result of gene amplification, HER2 expression can be multiplied in tumours.

A new CAR T cell engineering technique developed by the researchers is based on a two-step identification process of HER2 positive cells. Thanks to the engineering, the researchers were able to produce a response where CAR T cells kill only the cancer cells in the cancer tissue.

"Our solution requires the preliminary identification of the surface structures associated with the cancer. When the preliminary recognition ability that induces the CAR construct is adjusted to require a binding affinity that is different from the affinity used by CAR to direct the killing of these cells, an extremely accurate ability to differentiate between cells based on the amount of target protein on their surface can be programmed in this two-step 'circuit' which controls the function of killer T cells," says Professor of Virology Kalle Saksela from the University of Helsinki.

Further studies for the application of the technique are already ongoing. Postdoctoral Researcher Anna Mäkelä, who works at Professor Saksela's laboratory, is coordinating a project funded by the Academy of Finland investigating the use of CAR T cell therapy on various cancer types and their surface structures.

"We are very excited about these results, and we are currently developing the technique so that it could be used to treat ovarian cancer. As the work progresses, the aim is to apply the technique itself and the targeting molecules of CAR constructs even more broadly to malignant solid tumours. Our goal is to develop 'multi-warhead missiles', against which cancer cells will find it difficult to develop resistance," Mäkelä says.

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Deplhi study considers risk to individuals who disclose personal information online

2021-03-18
A Delphi survey carried out by Dr Lyn Robinson, Head of Department and Reader in Library and Information Science at City, University of London, and Dr David Haynes, former Visiting Lecturer and Post-Doctoral Fellow in City's Department of Library and Information Science, has revealed priorities for protecting personal privacy online. Their research study, "Delphi study of risk to individuals who disclose personal information online", published in the Journal of Information Science, was conducted at City in 2019, and is based on the views of a panel of privacy and information security experts. A literature review, published between 2014 and ...

HAWC: Are photons of extreme energies coming from the Galaxy's largest accelerator?

HAWC: Are photons of extreme energies coming from the Galaxys largest accelerator?
2021-03-18
For years, in the vastness of our galaxy, astrophysicists have been tracking down pevatrons - natural accelerators of particles with monstrous energies. Thanks to the HAWC Observatory for Cosmic Radiation, another probable trace of their existence has just been found: photons with some of the highest energies. However, what is particularly important is that this time the high-energy photons have not only been recorded, but also their probable place of origin has been determined. We know they exist, we just don't know where exactly they are or what they look like. Pevatrons - because this is what we are talking ...

Climate change ravages coralligenous architects in the Mediterranean

Climate change ravages coralligenous architects in the Mediterranean
2021-03-18
Marine heatwaves are dramatically affecting the marine ecosystems of the world and the Mediterranean is no exception. In the Mediterranean, these extreme climate episodes and its resulting massive mortality of species are getting more and more intense and frequent. To date, most of the studies analysed the effects of these perturbations on specific species and populations, although researchers still do not know how this affects the functioning of the involved ecosystems. A new study led by the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) has stated that marine heatwaves are having a strong impact on the functioning of coraligen, one of the most emblematic ...

Declining caribou population victim of ecological chain reaction

Declining caribou population victim of ecological chain reaction
2021-03-18
A new study comparing decades of environmental monitoring records has confirmed that Canada's caribou are not faring as well as other animals like moose and wolves in the same areas--and also teased out why. The study used 16 years of data to examine changes in vegetation, moose, wolves and caribou. "Caribou are declining across Canada and have been recently lost in the Lower 48 States," says Melanie Dickie, a doctoral student with UBC Okanagan's Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science. "Understanding why caribou are declining is the first step to effectively managing the species--it tells ...

Christmas Island reptile-killer identified

Christmas Island reptile-killer identified
2021-03-18
Native reptile populations on Christmas Island have been in severe decline with two species, Lister's gecko and the blue-tailed skink, entirely disappearing from the wild. While previously the main driver for this decline is likely predation by invasive species and habitat destruction, a silent killer is now threatening to wipe the species out entirely. Those bred in captivity on the Australian Territory in the Indian Ocean have also been mysteriously dying, leaving the two species - which number only around 1000 each - in danger of extinction. Veterinary scientists from the University of Sydney, the Australian Registry of Wildlife ...

Astronomers see a 'space jellyfish'

2021-03-18
A radio telescope located in outback Western Australia has observed a cosmic phenomenon with a striking resemblance to a jellyfish. Published today in The Astrophysical Journal, an Australian-Italian team used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope to observe a cluster of galaxies known as Abell 2877. Lead author and PhD candidate Torrance Hodgson, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Perth, said the team observed the cluster for 12 hours at five radio frequencies between 87.5 and 215.5 megahertz. "We looked at the data, and as we turned down the frequency, we saw a ghostly jellyfish-like ...

Researchers develop acid-sensitive nanoparticles as new treatment for pancreatic cancer

2021-03-18
The research team led by Prof. YANG Lihua from Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed nanomicelles composed solely of macromolecules as a new approach for treating pancreatic tumor. The study was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Host dense peptides (HDP) is a part of the innate immunity of eukaryotic organism. It helps the host fence back attack by microbes through disrupting cellular membrane integrity. Inspired by HDP, membrane-disruptive macromolecules are designed with two most HDP's common structural characteristics (cationic and amphipathic) to realize similar membrane-disrupting ...

Eating before 8:30 a.m. could reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes

2021-03-18
WASHINGTON--People who start eating before 8:30 a.m. had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance, which could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. "We found people who started eating earlier in the day had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance, regardless of whether they restricted their food intake to less than 10 hours a day or their food intake was spread over more than 13 hours daily," said lead researcher Marriam Ali, M.D., of Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill. Insulin resistance occurs when the body doesn't respond as well to the insulin that the pancreas is producing and glucose is less able to enter the cells. People with insulin resistance ...

1 in 3 older thyroid patients take medications that interfere with thyroid function tests

2021-03-18
WASHINGTON--Nearly one-third of adults age 65 and older who take thyroid hormone also take medications that are known to interfere with thyroid function tests, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. "Our findings highlight the complexity of managing thyroid hormone replacement in older adults, many of whom take medications for other medical conditions," said first author Rachel Beeson, M.D., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Until now, the prevalence of concurrent use of thyroid hormone and interfering medications in older adults, and patient characteristics associated with this practice, has been unknown." Thyroid ...

Osteoporosis drug prescribing often does not follow guidelines

2021-03-18
WASHINGTON--Less than one in 10 commercially insured patients in the United States who broke a hip, a major complication of osteoporosis, receive any osteoporosis medical treatment within two calendar quarters of their fracture, according to a study whose results will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. Rates of treatment with osteoporosis, or bone loss, medicines dropped dramatically over the past decade from 15 percent to 8 percent, a new analysis of a large nationwide private insurance database found. The decrease comes despite ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

International collaboration enabled participatory stock assessment on glass eel fisheries in West Java, Indonesia

Enhanced melanoma vaccine offers improved survival for men

Nearly one-third of patients with TBI have marginal or inadequate health literacy

Genetic causes of cerebral palsy uncovered through whole-genome sequencing

Modesty and boastfulness – perception depends on usual performance

Do sweeteners increase your appetite? New evidence from randomised controlled trial says no 

Women with obesity do not need to gain weight during pregnancy, new study suggests

Individuals with multiple sclerosis face substantially greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccination

Study shows obesity in childhood associated with a more than doubling of risk of developing multiple sclerosis in early adulthood

Rice Emerging Scholars Program receives $2.5M NSF grant to boost STEM education

Virtual rehabilitation provides benefits for stroke recovery

Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests

NJIT research team discovering how fluids behave in nanopores with NSF grant

New study shows association of historical housing discrimination and shortfalls in colon cancer treatment

Social media use may help to empower plastic surgery patients

Q&A: How to train AI when you don't have enough data

Wayne State University researchers uncover potential treatment targets for Zika virus-related eye abnormalities

Discovering Van Gogh in the wild: scientists unveil a new gecko species

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia

Imaging detects transient “hypoxic pockets” in the mouse brain

Dissolved organic matter could be used to track and improve the health of freshwaters

Indoor air quality standards in public buildings would boost health and economy, say international experts

Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

New imaging method illuminates oxygen's journey in the brain

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

Bidirectional link between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

Cell division quality control ‘stopwatch’ uncovered

Vaccine protects cattle from bovine tuberculosis, may eliminate disease

[Press-News.org] A leap forward in research on CAR T cell therapy
Cellular engineering makes it possible to target the therapy also against solid tumors