Human Immunology News Volume 5.35 | Sep 5 2017

TOP STORY

New Nanoparticles Make Targeted, Temporary Gene Therapy Possible

Scientists seeking a simple and gentle way to provide short-term gene therapy have a new tool: nanoparticles. They describe nanoparticles they have developed that can streamline the delivery of bundled genetic material to specific cells. [Press release from Fred Hutch discussing online prepublication in Nature Communications] Press Release | Full Article

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Mass Cytometry and Topological Data Analysis Reveal Immune Parameters Associated with Complications after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Scientists present a systems-level analysis by mass cytometry and serum profiling in 26 patients sampled 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months after transplantation. Using a combination of machine learning and topological data analyses, they showed that global immune signatures associated with clinical outcome can be revealed, even when patients are few and heterogeneous. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

NK Cell Alloreactivity against KIR-Ligand-Mismatched HLA-Haploidentical Tissue Derived from HLA Haplotype-Homozygous iPSCs

Investigators found that T cells and vascular endothelial cells regenerated from HLA haplotype-homozygous-C1/C1 induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were killed by specific natural killer (NK) cell subsets from a putative HLA haplotype-heterozygous-C1/C2 recipient. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Antigen-Presenting Intratumoral B Cells Affect CD4⁺ TIL Phenotypes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Compared to other immune subsets detected in freshly isolated primary tumors from non-small cell lung cancer patients, the authors observed increased numbers of intratumoral B cells relative to B cells from tumor-adjacent tissues. [Cancer Immunol Res] Abstract

Selective LRRK2 Kinase Inhibition Reduces Phosphorylation of Endogenous Rab10 and Rab12 in Human Peripheral Mononuclear Blood Cells

In a combined proteomics and phosphoproteomics study on human peripheral mononuclear blood cells treated with the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibitor Lu AF58786 a number of putative biomarkers were identified. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Innate Immune Activating Ligand SUMOylation Affects Tumor Cell Recognition by NK Cells

Researchers focused on the SUMO pathway and demonstrated that the ligand of DNAM1 activating receptor, PVR, undergoes SUMOylation in multiple myeloma. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Aiolos Overexpression in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus B Cell Subtypes and BAFF-Induced Memory B Cell Differentiation Are Reduced by CC-220 Modulation of Cereblon Activity

Scientists describe that soluble BAFF in combination with IL-2 and IL-21 is a T cell contact-independent inducer of human B cell proliferation, plasmablast differentiation, and IgG secretion from circulating CD27⁺ memory and memory-like CD27⁻IgD⁻ double-negative B cells, but not CD27⁻IgD⁺ naive B cells. [J Immunol] Abstract

Quinacrine Induces the Apoptosis of Human Leukemia U937 Cells through FOXP3/miR-183/β-TrCP/SP1 Axis-Mediated BAX Upregulation

The authors investigated the cytotoxic effect of quinacrine on human leukemia U937 cells. Quinacrine-induced apoptosis of U937 cells was accompanied with ROS generation, mitochondrial depolarization, and BAX upregulation. [Toxicol Appl Pharmacol] Abstract

miR-625-3p Is Upregulated in CD8⁺ T Cells during Early Immune Reconstitution after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Researchers studied miR-625-3p expression selectively in CD8⁺ T-cells both in vitro and during immune reconstitution after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in man. T-cell receptor stimulation lead to miR-625-3p upregulation in human CD8⁺ T-cells in vitro. [PLoS One] Full Article

An Immune Clock of Human Pregnancy

The maintenance of pregnancy relies on finely tuned immune adaptations. The authors demonstrated that these adaptations are precisely timed, reflecting an immune clock of pregnancy in women delivering at term. Using mass cytometry, the abundance and functional responses of all major immune cell subsets were quantified in serial blood samples collected throughout pregnancy. [Sci Immunol] Abstract | Press Release

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Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapies for Lymphoma

Scientists review the clinical efficacy and toxicity of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapies for lymphoma, and discuss their limitations and future directions with regard to toxicity management, CAR designs and CAR-T-cell phenotypes, conditioning regimens, and combination therapies. [Nat Rev Clin Oncol] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the human immunology research field.

FDA Approves Genentech’s Actemra (Tocilizumab) for the Treatment of CAR T Cell-Induced Cytokine Release Syndrome

Genentech announced that the FDA has approved Actemra^® intravenous injection for the treatment of chimeric antigen receptor T cell-induced severe or life-threatening cytokine release syndrome in patients two years of age and older. [Genentech, Inc.] Press Release

Cryoport Selected to Support the Potential Commercial Launch of Kite Pharma’s CAR-T Therapy Axicabtagene Ciloleucel

Cryoport announced that Kite Pharma has chosen Cryoport’s industry-leading, advanced technology suite of cryogenic logistics solutions for the life sciences industry to support the potential commercial launch of its lead chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, axicabtagene ciloleucel, for the treatment of aggressive non-hodgkin lymphoma. [Cryoport Systems, Inc.] Press Release

Budget Battle Looms for US Science Programs

Scientists in the United States are nervously watching from the sidelines as the annual budget skirmish heats up in Congress. Competing spending priorities in the House of Representative and Senate could push funding negotiations into December. [Nature News] Editorial

Young Immigrant Scientists Anxiously Await Trump’s DACA Decision

A 27-year-old is one of an untold number of scientists and engineers who are undocumented immigrants, and have been able to get jobs and degrees thanks to a federal initiative that President Donald Trump has threatened to end. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Brain Researchers in Uproar over NIH Clinical-Trials Policy

Scientists studying human behavior and cognitive brain function are up in arms over a plan by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to classify most studies involving human participants as clinical trials. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW 19^th Annual International Meeting of the Institute of Human Virology
October 23-26, 2017
Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Immunogenomics (University of Oxford)

Research Fellow – Mucosal Immunology (Malaghan Institute of Medical Research)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology Cell Based Assay (Turnstone Biologics Inc.)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology Relating to Type 1 Diabetes (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)

Postdoctoral Scholar – Regulation of Immune Responses (University of Iowa)

Postdoctoral Fellowships – Immune Signaling and Metabolism (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Immunology (Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Center)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Inflammatory Diseases (University of Pennsylvania)

Assistant Professor – Cell Science (University of Manitoba)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Autoimmune Disease Research (Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason)

Postdoctoral Position – Molecular Biology and Immunology (Harvard Medical School)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer Immunotherapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neuroimmunology (Duke University)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Innate Immunity (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Assistant, Associate or Full Member – Cancer Immunology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

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