A newly engineered CAR T cell that incorporates a peptide isolated from the venom of the deathstalker scorpion has broad brain tumor–binding capabilities that will be investigated in an upcoming clinical trial.
This previously unknown mechanism for spotting foreign genetic material in the cytoplasm launches antiviral defenses even when the well-known immune mediator STING is absent.
The immunotherapy induces a form of cell death in leukemia cells in mice that triggers cytokine release syndrome, a dangerous inflammatory reaction that occurs in some patients.
The Oxford researcher’s work on lipid and peptide antigens revealed key mechanisms in inflammation, immunotherapy, and vaccination, which are being pursued in clinical trial treatments.
A Chicago-based center that has long operated a clinical trial program for stem cell therapies, has stopped recruiting further patients as its chief, Richard Burt, leaves for a research sabbatical.
Injecting immunostimulants directly into the tumor is not a new strategy to stimulate the immune system, but the approach has seen a surge of interest in recent years.
Comparing the cells of cancer patients who did and did not respond to the immunotherapy could reveal biomarkers to predict who should receive it in the first place.
