Researchers from Yale University and affiliated organizations published data from a study that aimed to assess the mechanistic and pathophysiological importance of plaque-associated axonal spheroids (PAASs) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Previous evidence suggests that MEK/BRAF inhibitors targeting aberrant activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway can sensitize tumors to immunotherapy through different mechanisms. This occurs in NRAS/BRAF mutant melanoma, where kinase inhibitor treatment sensitizes tumors to immunotherapy, at least partly, through an increase in the average surface presentation of peptide major histocompatibility molecules (pMHC) molecules. However, the optimal combination, order and timing of administration of both therapeutic strategies remain unclear.

Tumors have a lower interstitial pH compared to healthy tissues, with tumor acidity having emerged as a driver of tumor progression as it can lead to tumor immune evasion. Solute carrier family 4 member 4 (SLC4A4), which encodes a sodium bicarbonate cotransporter involved in pH regulation and homeostasis in normal tissue, was the focus of studies in pancreatic cancer resistance in in vivo preclinical models. Researchers tested the impact of Slc4a4 deletion in cancer cells on tumor growth, anticancer immunity and response to immunotherapy in murine models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy has emerged as an anticancer treatment approach and is currently being tested in clinical trials. KIR2DL5, a member of the human killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) family, has recently been identified as a binding partner for poliovirus receptor (PVR). However, the biology and therapeutic potential of the KIR2DL5/PVR pathway remain widely unexplored.

Endophilin A2 (EndoA2) is a member of the endophilin A family, and is involved in the regulation of neurological and cardiovascular diseases, as well as tumor formation. Researchers from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University assessed the role of EndoA2 in renal fibrosis.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a disease affecting the bile ducts that can lead to end-stage liver disease and cholangiocarcinoma. Patients with this disease lack therapeutic treatment other than liver transplantation.

Noncoding RNAs, such as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), are important regulators and markers of cardiovascular diseases. Saphenous veins are frequently used in coronary artery bypass surgery, but about 50% of the saphenous vein grafts fail in the first 10 years after surgery due to neointima formation.

Investigators at the University of Copenhagen and affiliated organizations presented data from a study that aimed to validate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) as potential new targets.

Researchers from Washington University presented data from a study that aimed to identify myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) markers in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).