Paxlovid effective against Omicron subvariants in study February 14, 2023 -- Colorado researchers investigated the effectiveness of the drug nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, in non-hospitalized patients during a time period in which Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 were prevalent.Read More
Study of T-cell behavior predicts therapeutic differences in cancer outcomes May 10, 2022 -- Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have published a study in Cancer Cell revealing a novel insight on the role of T cells in cancer therapies. The study focused on comparing the differences in behaviors of T cells in immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma to treatment outcomes.Read More
ISCT22: Antion Biosciences CEO highlights new way of approaching allogeneic cell creation May 9, 2022 -- Dr. Sven Kili, CEO of Antion Biosciences, contends the Swiss company’s microRNA (miRNA) technology (miCAR platform) is a new way of approaching allogeneic cell creation by enabling simultaneous silencing of multiple gene targets while overcoming the challenges faced by existing gene editing approaches. Kili spoke with ScienceBoard.net at the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) 2022 annual meeting in San Francisco.Read More
Proteins display structural plasticity: study August 29, 2022 -- The plant protein ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (rubisco) is an enzyme that adopts multiple assemblies, according to new research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkeley, CA. However, the origins and distribution of its different oligomeric states remain mysterious.Read More
Protein crystallography links rigid antibody hinges to increased anticancer activity July 11, 2022 -- Researchers at the University of Southampton have gained new insight into the key properties of an antibody needed to fight off cancer using protein crystallography, revealing that the flexibility of the hinge between the arms of IgG2 antibodies affects the anticancer effects triggered by the molecules.Read More
Researchers identify which mice not to use for sickle cell disease studies July 11, 2022 -- Researchers in Memphis, TN, have learned why certain mice die when testing new gene-based therapies for sickle cell disease and encourage scientists to carefully consider the genetics of the mice they are using to study human diseases.Read More
Boosting TERRA levels damages DNA of hard-to-kill cancer cells: study September 20, 2022 -- Increasing levels of telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) damages the DNA of cancers with a particular form of replicative immortality and leads to cell death, according to Portuguese researchers who show that “anti-aging clocks” can be used to kill cancer cells.Read More
FDA approves Kite CAR T therapy Yescarta April 7, 2022 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved axicabtagene ciloleuce (Yescarta), a CAR T-cell therapy manufactured by Kite, a Gilead company.Read More
Gene therapy shows long-term benefits for children with WAS April 4, 2022 -- A lentiviral-based gene therapy treatment for children with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) has demonstrated long-term benefits, according to research recently published in Nature Medicine. The findings demonstrate a safe alternative to the traditional treatment protocol.Read More