Racing to deliver a vaccine to the masses Racing to deliver a vaccine to the masses While the world works to flatten the curve, scientists at Penn and Wistar hope to deliver the COVID-19 pandemic’s silver bullet: a vaccine that effectively protects people from infection.
Alternative immune cells may surpass T cells to fight solid tumors Alternative immune cells may surpass T cells to fight solid tumors Penn researchers have shown success using genetically engineered macrophages, an immune cell that eats invaders in the body, to target solid tumors.
A new way to predict lung cancer treatment response: The blood test A new way to predict lung cancer treatment response: The blood test A Penn study shows a better clinical response to immunotherapy correlates with higher ratio of tumor mutations detected by a liquid biopsy.
CRISPR-edited immune cells can survive and thrive after infusion into cancer patients CRISPR-edited immune cells can survive and thrive after infusion into cancer patients In the first U.S. clinical trial, cells removed from patients and brought back into the lab were able to kill cancer months after their original manufacturing and infusion.
Defect driving resistance to CAR T therapy identified A CAR T cell interacting with a cancer cell. Defect driving resistance to CAR T therapy identified A new study identifies the mechanism that prevents cell death, and can guide future immunotherapy strategies in patients whose blood cancers are resistant to CAR T therapy.
Penn nanoparticles are less toxic to T cells engineered for cancer immunotherapy An artist’s illustration of nanoparticles transporting mRNA into a T cell (blue), allowing the latter to express surface receptors that recognize cancer cells (red). (Image: Ryan Allen, Second Bay Studios) Penn nanoparticles are less toxic to T cells engineered for cancer immunotherapy By using messenger RNA across the T cell’s membrane via a nanoparticle instead of a DNA-rewriting virus on extracted T cells, CAR T treatments could have fewer side effects.
These overlooked global diseases take a turn under the microscope In an experiment by the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Ronald Harty and Bruce Freedman, virus-like particles of Ebola (in green and yellow), which mimic the process by which the authentic Ebola virus spreads, exit a cell along filaments of actin (in red), a structural protein. Harty and Freedman are designing compounds to block this process, increasing the likelihood an infected individual could recover. (Image: Gordon Ruthel/School of Veterinary Medicine) These overlooked global diseases take a turn under the microscope Faculty at the School of Veterinary Medicine target neglected tropical diseases with advanced science, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and work in the lab and the field.
Positive results in first-in-U.S. trial of CRISPR-edited immune cells 3D render of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system. Positive results in first-in-U.S. trial of CRISPR-edited immune cells Genetically editing a cancer patient’s immune cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, then infusing those cells back into the patient appears safe and feasible based on early data from the first-ever clinical trial to test the approach in humans in the United States.
To monitor cancer therapy, researchers tag CAR T cells with imaging markers To monitor cancer therapy, researchers tag CAR T cells with imaging markers With CAR T cell therapy, a patient’s own immune cells are genetically modified and inserted back into the body to find and kill cancer. Now scientists have now discovered a new way to track CAR T cells in the body.
Researchers unravel the early makings of an exhausted T cell Researchers unravel the early makings of an exhausted T cell Knowing which T cells will lose the battle against cancer earlier could inform treatments and the development of new immunotherapies.