Immunotherapy News and Research

Latest Immunotherapy News and Research

Breakthrough study identifies mechanisms behind glucocorticoid resistance in pediatric B-ALL

Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute B-ALL is the most common paediatric cancer and, over the years and thanks to a very effective treatment based on glucocorticoids, its 5-year survival rates have reached 85% and beyond.

5 Aug 2024

FDA accepted PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab for the treatment of endometrial cancer

On June 14, 2024, the U.S. FDA approved AstraZeneca's Durvalumab (IMFINZI®) for primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer with mismatch repair deficiency. Endometrial cancer is the most prevalent gynecologic cancer, with an estimated 66,200 new U.S. cases in 2023.

From Sino Biological Inc. 5 Aug 2024

Active immune cells discovered in brain's cranial bone marrow fighting glioblastomas

A study uncovers the presence and activity of immune cells in glioblastoma, revealing new insights into brain tumor immunology and potential treatment avenues.

4 Aug 2024

FDA grants accelerated approval for first engineered T cell therapy to treat adults with synovial sarcoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval for the immunotherapy afamitresgene autoleuecel (Tecelra®, also known as afami-cel) for the treatment of adults with a rare soft tissue cancer called synovial sarcoma.

2 Aug 2024

Using advanced CRISPR to boost efficiency of CAR-T cell therapies

CAR-T cells are highly effective in treating selected blood cancers. However, challenges remain with this new therapy, which was first approved in 2017 in the USA and a year later in Europe for treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

2 Aug 2024

New treatment option for endometrial cancer shows promise in phase II trial

The latest trial of a new antibody drug that delivers potent chemotherapy directly to cancer cells for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer moves ahead to be studied further in a phase III trial.

1 Aug 2024

AI reprograms glioblastoma cells into dendritic cells for cancer immunotherapy

In an innovative new study of glioblastoma, scientists used artificial intelligence (AI) to reprogram cancer cells, converting them into dendritic cells (DCs), which can identify cancer cells and direct other immune cells to kill them.

31 Jul 2024

MD Anderson and collaborators initiate space project to explore T cell behavior in microgravity

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and collaborators are initiating a research project that will send T cells to the International Space Station (ISS) to study the effects of prolonged microgravity on cell differentiation, activation, memory and exhaustion.

31 Jul 2024

Study links tissue-resident memory T cells to improved lung cancer outcomes

An extensive analytical study performed at the Terasaki Institute and published in Frontiers in Immunology highlights the crucial role of tissue-resident memory T cells and how they influence the immune environment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer and their overall prognosis.

30 Jul 2024

Overcoming cancer relapse with CAR-Enhancer therapy

Even as they have revolutionized the treatment of certain forms of cancer, CAR T-cell therapies have been shadowed by a significant limitation: many patients, including those whose cancer goes into full remission, eventually relapse. In a new study, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers report on a technique with the potential to eliminate that problem.

29 Jul 2024

New biomarker helps determine the optimal treatment for colon cancer

Many people with stage II or III colon cancer receive additional, or adjuvant, chemotherapy following surgery. However, clinical trials have shown that this treatment doesn't improve the chances of survival for every patient. A study published July 25th, 2024 in Cell Reports Medicine identifies and validates a 10-gene biomarker that potentially predicts whether a stage II or III colon cancer patient will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

27 Jul 2024

New guidelines expand BRCA testing and screening for men

More and more studies show that men face risks of cancer from BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations that are most often associated with breast and ovarian cancers in women.

27 Jul 2024

Moffitt study identifies predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy in merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare but highly aggressive form of skin cancer known for its rapid growth and tendency to metastasize. Despite the promise of immune checkpoint blockade therapy, which can boost the body's immune response against cancer cells, nearly half of patients do not respond to this treatment.

26 Jul 2024

Electrical currents could supercharge cancer-killing immune cells, study finds

Scientists have discovered that electrical currents may make Natural Killer (NK) cells – our very own cancer-killing immune cells – even better killers, which could have significant implications for treating some cancers.

25 Jul 2024

Fecal microbiota transplants can boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy in gastrointestinal cancers

Findings from a small, proof-of-concept clinical trial have suggested that fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) can boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy in a range of gastrointestinal cancers.

25 Jul 2024

MD Anderson and Summit Therapeutics partner to accelerate ivonescimab development

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Summit Therapeutics, Inc. today announced a strategic five-year collaboration agreement for the purpose of accelerating the development of ivonescimab.

25 Jul 2024

Simple blood test may predict CAR-T therapy success in multiple myeloma

A simple blood test that measures the number of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell in the body, may predict whether people who have relapsed multiple myeloma are going to respond well to CAR-T immunotherapy, according to new research from Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian, Columbia University and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

24 Jul 2024

Breakthrough research identifies fibrin as key factor in preterm brain bleeds

Mark Petersen, MD, has seen firsthand the devastating effects of brain bleeds in premature babies. It's an exceedingly common condition that affects up to 20 percent of infants born before 28 weeks of gestation, bringing an increased risk for developmental delays and autism.

24 Jul 2024

CD5 knockout using CRISPR boosts CAR T cell therapy efficacy

The effectiveness of CAR T cell therapy against a variety of cancers, including solid tumors, could be boosted greatly by using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to knock out the gene for CD5, a protein found on the surface of T cells, according to a preclinical study from investigators at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and Abramson Cancer Center.

19 Jul 2024

Physical modulation of the tumor microenvironment to enhance cancer therapy

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. The tumor microenvironment (TME) has a crucial role in tumor development, metastasis, and recurrence.

19 Jul 2024