Human Immunology News Volume 4.03 | Jan 26 2016

Ex Vivo Costimulatory Blockade to Generate Regulatory T Cells from Individuals Awaiting Kidney Transplantation
The authors showed that regulatory T cells can be successfully generated from either freshly isolated or previously cryopreserved uremic recipient and healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells using the strategy of ex vivo costimulatory blockade with belatacept during mixed lymphocyte culture. [Am J Transplant] Abstract

IFNα Enhances the Production of IL-6 by Human Neutrophils Activated via TLR8
Scientists demonstrated that IFNα, a cytokine that modulates the early innate immune responses toward viral and bacterial infections, potently enhances the production of IL-6 in neutrophils stimulated with R848, a TLR8 agonist. [Sci Rep] Full Article

IL-10-Produced by Human Transitional B-Cells Down-Regulates CD86 Expression on B-Cells Leading to Inhibition of CD4⁺ T-Cell Responses
Investigators showed that transitional B-cells produced more IL-10 and expressed higher levels of IL-10 receptor after CD40 engagement compared to other B-cell subsets. Under this stimulatory condition, CD86 expressed by transitional B-cells was down regulated and T-cell proliferation was reduced. [Sci Rep] Full Article

S1PR4 Signaling Attenuates ILT 7 Internalization to Limit IFN-α Production by Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells
Scientists showed that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) stimulation of human, primary plasmacytoid dendritic cells substantially decreases IFN-α production after TLR7/9 activation with different types of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides or tick-borne encephalitis vaccine, which occurred in an S1P receptor 4 (S1PR4)-dependent manner. [J Immunol] Abstract

The Induction of Human Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells through Hepatic Stellate Cells Is Dose-Dependently Inhibited by the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Nilotinib, Dasatinib and Sorafenib, but Not Sunitinib
Researchers investigated the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors on the induction of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that differentiate from mature human monocytes using a new in vitro model of MDSC induction through activated hepatic stellate cells. [Cancer Immunol Immunother] Abstract

Effects of PVA-Coated Nanoparticles on Human T Helper Cell Activity
Primary human CD4⁺ T cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy subjects were treated with varying doses of amino-polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA)-coated-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for 20 hours or 72 hours. T cells were then analyzed for apoptosis, cellular energy, expression of the activation marker CD25 and cell proliferation. [Toxicol Lett] Abstract

Aspergillus fumigatus Promotes T Helper Type 2 Responses through Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin Production by Human Corneal Epithelial Cells
Investigators explored the potential role of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in adaptive immunity of fungal keratitis. TSLP could induce a T helper type 2 response in vitro, and the expression of TSLP was highly increased in human corneal epithelial cells stimulated with A. fumigatus hyphae. [Clin Experiment Ophthalmol] Abstract

Engineering T-Cell Specificity Genetically to Generate Anti-Melanoma Reactivity
Retroviral vectors can be used to efficiently transduce actively dividing cells such as proliferating T cells, while being relatively safe to the user. Researchers showed this approach is powerful and can be easily implemented, paving the way to the development of advanced research tools and potent clinical immunotherapeutic strategies. [Methods Mol Biol] Abstract

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Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Susceptibility and Dendritic Cell Function: Potential Targets for Treatment
Scientists review how gene polymorphisms associated with autoimmune diabetes may influence dendritic cell development and maturation processes that could lead to alterations in the tolerogenic function of dendritic cells. [J Leukoc Biol] Abstract

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Cancer MoonShot 2020 Reaches First Clinical Trial Milestone: Immunotherapy Trial Demonstrates Encouraging Survival Rates in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Who Failed All Standard Therapy
Precision Biologics and the Cancer MoonShot 2020 Program ‎announced promising data from its Phase II clinical trial of the first neo-epitope1‎ targeting antibody, ensituximab, studied in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer who failed all standards of care. [Press release from Precision Biologics, Inc. discussing research presented at the 2016 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI), San Francisco] Press Release

Data for KEYTRUDA^® (Pembrolizumab) in a Range of Gastrointestinal Cancers to Be Presented
Updates on pembrolizumab include data on advanced esophageal carcinoma and new preliminary Phase II safety data in gastric cancer. [Press release from Merck & Co., Inc. discussing research presented at the 2016 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI), San Francisco] Press Release

NewLink Genetics Presents Phase Ib Data of Indoximod in Combination with Gemcitabine/Nab-Paclitaxel for Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer that Show Encouraging Durable Responses with Delayed Pattern
NewLink Genetics Corporation including both cellular immunotherapy and checkpoint inhibitor platforms, announced the presentation of data that describe a combination therapy of indoximod, an IDO pathway inhibitor, plus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel, for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. [Press release from NewLink Genetics Corporation discussing research presented at the 2016 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI), San Francisco] Press Release

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Affimed Enters into Collaboration with Merck to Evaluate AFM13 in Combination with KEYTRUDA^® (Pembrolizumab) for Patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma
Affimed N.V. will fund and conduct a Phase Ib clinical trial to investigate the combination of Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA^®, with Affimed’s proprietary drug candidate AFM13 for the treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma whose disease has relapsed or is refractory to chemotherapy, including treatment with the marketed antibody-drug-conjugate Adcetris™. [Affimed N.V.] Press Release

IRX Therapeutics and ImmunID Announce Collaboration to Predict Response to IRX-2 Cancer Immunotherapy Using ImmunTraCkeR^®
IRX Therapeutics and ImmunID announced they have entered into a collaboration agreement for prediction of response to the IRX-2 immunotherapy candidate using the ImmunTraCkeR^® assay. [ImmunID] Press Release

Advaxis Expands Intellectual Property for Lm Technology™ Platform
Advaxis, Inc. announced that it has added two more patents to its growing patent portfolio. The first patent, European Patent No. 1804831, expands the composition of matter claims covering HER-2 tumor antigens. [Advaxis, Inc.] Press Release

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (Nivolumab) + Yervoy (Ipilimumab) Regimen Receives Expanded FDA Approval in Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma across BRAF Status
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Opdivo in combination with Yervoy for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600 wild-type and BRAF V600 mutation-positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma. [Bristol-Myers Squibb Company] Press Release

Agenus Announces Clearance of Investigational New Drug Applications by the FDA for Anti-CTLA-4 and Anti-GITR Antibodies
Agenus Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the company’s investigational new drug application for AGEN1884, an immune checkpoint modulator antibody that binds to cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4). [Agenus Inc.] Press Release

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Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

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NEW Postdoctoral Positions – Human Systems Immunology (University College Cork)

Senior Scientist – Immunology and Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer Bioengineering and Biology (University of Minnesota)

Postdoctoral Scientists – Breast Cancer Biology & Oncoimmunology (Vall D’Hebron Institute of Oncology)

Postdoctoral Position – Immunology (Indiana University School of Medicine)

Senior Immunologist (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Research Technician – CAR T Cell Therapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cell Therapy (Toronto Western Hospital)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Clinical Immunology (Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason)

Postdoctoral Positions – Hantavirus and Inflammation Research (Karolinska Institutet)

Postdoctoral Position – Quantitative Proteomics, Phosphoproteomics and Immune-Cell Signaling (University of Southern Denmark)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Immunotherapy (Inserm)

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