In the next year, members of the Dream Team will continue to study the tumor microenvironment before and after checkpoint blockade, to develop algorithms to identify and predict the best
antigens on cancer cells that can be used for cancer immunotherapies, to analyze tumor tissues and blood for biomarkers that will help in selecting patients who will benefit, and identifying the best approaches to increase the strength of immune cells for adoptive cell therapy.
Not exact matches
The race to become the first company with a chimeric
antigen receptor T -
cell (CAR - T)
cancer therapy
on the market has entered its final leg, and Kite Pharma now appears to have a big advantage.
A transformative
cancer therapy based
on modified immune
cells has lured doctors, companies, and patients alike, but many are hitting a frustrating roadblock: generating enough of these chimeric
antigen receptor (CAR)- T
cells to meet surging demand.
Prostate
cancer risk groups are assigned based
on the prostate biopsy results, which include the Gleason score (GS)-- an indication of how aggressively the tumor
cells may behave — and the prostate specific
antigen (PSA) level in the patient's blood at the time of diagnosis.
Similar strategies already in use select immune
cells that recognize any
cancer antigen, but Swanton's group would select those that are primed to recognize the trunk
antigens that occur
on all
cancer cells.
Chimeric
antigen receptor (CAR) T -
cell therapies utilize a patient's own T
cells that have been genetically engineered to bind to a specific
antigen on target
cancer cells.
A similar idea involves injecting
cancer patients with strains of different bacteria that have been genetically modified to present
antigens found
on pancreatic
cancer cells.
Once inside, researchers found that the antibodies zeroed in
on their targets — viral
antigens — and the radioisotopes destroyed nearby
cancer cells without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
They prepared a similar weapon against liver
cancer by piggybacking rhenium 18
on antibodies that target HBx, a viral
antigen made by cancerous liver
cells.
Researchers also monitored prostate
cancer risk, based
on prostate - specific
antigen levels and a rectal exam, and stroke risk, based
on red blood
cell levels during the treatment year and for at least a year afterward.
Though similar to healthy
cells,
cancer cells often display unique
antigens on their surface, which can be exploited to develop
cancer immunotherapies.
Since
cancer cells bear very specific
antigens on the surface, the corresponding antibodies bind to these molecules and thus inhibit tumor growth.
One of the immunotherapeutic approaches that has been explored thus far relies
on the use of monoclonal antibodies that specifically target a protein present
on the surface of prostate
cancer cells called prostate specific membrane
antigen (PSMA) to elicit an anti-tumor immune response and control the
cancer.
Olaparib stopped prostate
cancer growth, generating falls in prostate specific
antigen (PSA) levels, falls in circulating tumour
cell counts in the blood, and radiological responses
on CT scans and MRI.
In the new paper, researchers led by Dr. Torres showed that LPA keeps T
cells inactivated even after they have «seen» a target, or
antigen,
on a
cancer cell that would normally trigger an immune response.
The
antigen got the attention of the immune system, and the result was some of the mouse T
cells developed the ability to target a
cancer that's incidence and death rates are
on the rise in the United States.
The scientists took the genes for the most effective liver
cancer antigen receptors
on those T
cells, put those receptors
on human T
cells and the resulting engineered human T
cells eradicated the
cancer as well, without hurting normal liver
cells, they report in the journal Hepatology.
By contrast, the neoantigen vaccine is custom - made for each patient using
antigens produced by mutations unique to the patient's
cancer and only present
on cancer cells, thus bypassing the nature immune tolerance process.
*** It is directed against the 5T4 / WAIF1 tumour
antigen, a protein found
on many different solid tumours and is thought to contribute to the spread of
cancer cells.
The symposium features presentations by Philippa Marrack and John Kappler talking
on the T
cell repertoire; William Paul
on interleukin 4 as a prototypic immunoregulatory cytokine; Timothy Springer
on lymphocyte trafficking; Pamela Bjorkman
on structural studies of MHC and MHC - related proteins, and Jack Strominger
on peptide presentation by class I and II MHC proteins; Thierry Boon
on genes coding for tumor rejection
antigens, including the first tumor
antigen, MAGE - 1; and Philip Greenberg
on the modification of T
cells for adoptive therapy by retroviral - mediated gene insertion Since then, the symposia series has attracted leading immunologists in the
cancer vaccine and antibody fields, providing them with a comprehensive view of the promises and challenges in the development of
cancer immunotherapies.
As seen with pseudo-coloured scanning electron microscopy, two
cell - killing T -
cells (red) attack a squamous mouth
cancer cell (white) after a patient received a vaccine containing
antigens identified
on the tumour.
Finally,
cancer cells may naturally stop displaying
antigens on their surface, as part of their strategy for evading an immune response.
University of Washington Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center Toward immune therapy for colon cancer: identification of antigens recognized by CD8 + T lymphocytes on colon cancer stem
Cancer Research Center Toward immune therapy for colon
cancer: identification of antigens recognized by CD8 + T lymphocytes on colon cancer stem
cancer: identification of
antigens recognized by CD8 + T lymphocytes
on colon
cancer stem
cancer stem
cells
Once taken up by
antigen - presenting
cells, which help focus the immune system
on an invader, the vaccine releases a factor that heightens their attention specifically to the
cancer - promoting protein E7, a so - called oncoprotein that not only enables the human papillomavirus to multiply, but potentially cervical
cancer cells to do the same.
Monoclonal antibodies are a special type of protein designed to target
antigens, or markers, located
on the surface of
cancer cells; antibodies locate
antigens and recruit immune
cells to attack.
Recently she characterized anti-tumor effects of a unique human CD4 + helper T -
cell subset that directly recognizes the cytoplasmic tumor
antigen, NY - ESO - 1, presented by MHC class II
on cancer cells.
They are equipped with special receptors called chimeric
antigen receptors (CARs) that recognize specific proteins
on cancer cells and eliminate those
cells.
Areas of focus include: understanding how tumour - reactive T
cells and B
cells promote patient survival in
cancer; defining the effects of standard treatments
on tumor immunity; and using genomic approaches to identify novel tumour mutations that can serve as target
antigens for immunotherapy.
In the experiments described in the paper, the MGH team confirmed that their mesothelin - targeting fusion protein binds to mesothelin
on either ovarian
cancer or mesothelioma
cells, activates dendritic
cells, and enhances the
cells» processing and presentation of several different tumor
antigens, inducing a number of T -
cell - based immune responses.
By changing the mouse model they use to study how the immune system responds to
cancer, a team of researchers hopes to shift the focus for one form of
cancer immunotherapy back to the standard approach — relying
on antigen - presenting dendritic
cells — and away from the current upstart, macrophages.
Currently, we have developed targeting strategies for surface molecules
on leukemic
cells (e.g. CD19, CD33, CD133) or prostate
cancer (PSCA, PSMA) or a universibly applicable inducible surface target
antigen.