An allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that triggers graft-vs.-host-disease (GVHD) involves T cells that do not come from the patient's bloodstream, but rather from the local progenitor cells of the donor tissue. A study from the University of Pittsburgh confirmed this finding after cloning and following these cells, revealing their origin and peculiarities.
“I have had this idea for a pretty long time. In the tissues there are antigen-presenting cells and there are T cells. And I felt like there is no reason why they are needed to be input from blood that it could be a largely local response. Then, the question was whether there would be a subset of cells in the tissues that could continue to sustain it,” lead author Warren Shlomchik told BioWorld.
Treatment with the fusion protein QL-1005 reduced caloric intake and body weight in mice and primates. In obese animals, it also improved insulin, fasting glucose and triglyceride levels. The design belongs to the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Beijing QL Biopharmaceutical, which will begin clinical trials in a year.
Using a near-atomic resolution cryo-electron microscope and imaging techniques that prevent loss of information, scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. have obtained the complete 3D structure of the glycoprotein of the Ebola virus and that of the drug that neutralizes it, Inmazeb, the first FDA-approved treatment for this deadly virus. “The challenge was embracing the inherent asymmetry, the heterogeneity that is really there in biology, understanding it and collecting enough data to get all the images without needing to force any symmetry averaging,” senior author Erica Ollmann Saphire told BioWorld.
The suppression of the SYF2 factor could be a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of the different types of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). According to a study from the University of Southern California, SYF2 acts on the TDP-43 protein, improving the survival of motor neurons affected by this disease. “We wanted to find something that would improve neuron survival across many different iPSC lines for ALS,” Justin Ichida told BioWorld.
The combination of two sequencing techniques has unveiled features of a subpopulation of cells that could be producing plaques in atherosclerosis. This process is associated with an autoimmune component driven by CD4+ T cells, according to a study from researchers at Leiden University.
Cells that break away from a tumor and colonize other regions of the body express genes that are different from those of the cancer from which they originate. Now, a Baylor College of Medicine study has found that metastases can be classified into four cancer subtypes regardless of the primary cancer. This finding describes which genes are active in each one, making it possible to establish the most appropriate treatments for each patient according to the subtype of metastasis they have developed.
The combination of two sequencing techniques has unveiled features of a subpopulation of cells that could be producing plaques in atherosclerosis. This process is associated with an autoimmune component driven by CD4+ T cells, according to a study from researchers at Leiden University.
“I think that we can clearly say now that atherosclerosis is a very clear autoimmune component. It is a multifactorial disease, a combination of genes, and lifestyle, but also inflammation and the immune system,” Ilze Bot and Bram Slütter, associate professors at the Division of Biotherapeutics of Leiden University, told BioWorld.
Unexpected behavior of neutrophils unveiled by researchers at Stanford University could lead to a new type of immunotherapy to treat cancer. Although various studies have suggested that these cells are harmful due to their immunosuppressive characteristics, the scientists saw in them an opportunity to redirect them and eliminate tumors.
A genome-wide association study (GWAS) from The University of Queensland has linked blood cell traits (BCTs) and neurological and psychiatric disorders (NPDs), providing a tool to improve patient treatments or repurposing different drugs. The researchers also found a cause-effect relationship between Parkinson's and platelet distribution width. In their study, published Jan. 25, 2023, in Cell Genomics, the scientists observed the genetic overlap between common NPDs and 29 BCTs, including functional genes, regulatory elements and new genetic correlations linked to hematological data and for these diseases.
An analysis of more than 1,000 small molecules has identified dozens of compounds that could be effective to treat Marfan syndrome (MFS), an inherited disorder affecting connective tissue, primarily in the heart and blood vessels, the skeleton, and the eyes. In particular, the researchers from Cambridge University found that glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) could be a target to develop new therapies based on its inhibition.
