Human Immunology News Volume 4.39 | Oct 4 2016

TOP STORY

‘Cellbots’ Chase Down Cancer, Deliver Drugs Directly to Tumors

Scientists have engineered human immune cells that can precisely locate diseased cells anywhere in the body and execute a wide range of customizable responses, including the delivery of drugs or other therapeutic payloads directly to tumors or other unhealthy tissues. [Press release from UC San Francisco discussing online prepublication in Cell] Press Release | Abstract | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

A Three-Stage Intrathymic Development Pathway for the Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cell Lineage

Researchers defined three developmental stages and checkpoints for the mucosal-associated invariant T cell (MAIT) cell lineage in humans and mice. Stage 1 and stage 2 MAIT cells predominated in thymus, while stage 3 cells progressively increased in abundance extrathymically. [Nat Immunol] Abstract

MGD011, a CD19 x CD3 Dual Affinity Re-Targeting Bi-Specific Molecule Incorporating Extended Circulating Half-Life for the Treatment of B-Cell Malignancies

Investigators report on the preclinical activity, safety and pharmacokinetic properties of MGD011. The activity of MGD011 was evaluated in several in vitro and in vivo models. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract

CD16 Is Indispensable for Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity by Human Monocytes

The authors found that human CD16-expressing monocytes have a broad spectrum of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity capacities and can kill cancer cell lines, primary leukemic cells and hepatitis B virus-infected cells in the presence of specific antibodies. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein (OxLDL)-Treated Dendritic Cells Promote Activation of T Cells in Human Atherosclerotic Plaque and Blood, which Is Repressed by Statins: MicroRNA let-7c Is Integral to the Effect

Researchers studied the effects of statins on human dendritic cells (DCs) maturation and T-cell activation. Human peripheral blood monocytes were differentiated to DCs and stimulated with oxLDL. [J Am Heart Assoc] Full Article

Global Analysis of O-GlcNAc Glycoproteins in Activated Human T Cells

Given that O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) appears to regulate cell signaling pathways and protein activity similarly to phosphorylation, the authors performed a comprehensive analysis of O-GlcNAc during T cell activation to address the functional importance of this modification and to identify the modified proteins. [J Immunol] Abstract | Full Article

Maintenance of the EBV-Specific CD8⁺ TCRαβ Repertoire in Immunosuppressed Lung Transplant Recipients

Scientists used a novel single-cell T-cell receptor (TCR)αβ multiplex-nested reverse transcriptase PCR to dissect TCRαβ clonal diversity within GLCTLVAML-specific CD8⁺ T cells in healthy individuals and immunocompromised lung transplant recipients. [Immunol Cell Biol] Full Article

CD8⁺ T-Cell Specificity Is Compromised at a Defined MHCI/CD8 Affinity Threshold

Scientists used a panel of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) mutants with altered CD8 binding properties to show that T-cell receptor-mediated antigen specificity is delimited by a peptide-MHCI/CD8 affinity threshold. [Immunol Cell Biol] Abstract | Full Article

Relationship between Different Subpopulations of Circulating CD4⁺ T-Lymphocytes and Microvascular Structural Alterations in Humans

Significant negative correlations were observed between indices of microvascular structure and circulating T-regulatory lymphocytes. A direct correlation was observed between media to lumen ratio of subcutaneous small arteries and circulating Th17 lymphocytes. [Am J Hypertens] Abstract

Novel Strategy for Phenotypic Characterization of Human B Lymphocytes from Precursors to Effector Cells by Flow Cytometry

Scientists proposed a backbone of six antibodies and an efficient gating strategy to identify, in a single analysis tube, a large number of B-cell subsets covering the whole B-cell differentiation from precursors to memory and plasma cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

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Shaping Variation in the Human Immune System

Immune responses demonstrate a high level of intra-species variation, compensating for the specialization capacity of pathogens. The recent advent of in-depth immune phenotyping projects in large-scale cohorts has allowed a first look into the factors that shape the inter-individual diversity of the human immune system. [Trends Immunol] Abstract

Technical Considerations for the Generation of Adoptively Transferred T Cells in Cancer Immunotherapy

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) is a therapeutic modality that has intrigued physicians and researchers for its many theoretical benefits. Preclinical investigations and human trials have utilized natural killer cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, T-cells or B-cells for ACT with the most intense research focused on T-cell ACT. [Cancers] Full Article

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

$10 Million Gift Creates Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a $10 million gift to support research that harnesses the immune system to fight cancer, infectious diseases, and disorders caused by autoimmunity and immune deficiencies. [Washington University in St. Louis] Press Release

Dr. Allen Eaves of STEMCELL Technologies Inc. Named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Pacific 2016

Dr. Allen Eaves, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of STEMCELL Technologies, a global biotechnology company that supplies tools and services to enable life science research, is this year’s Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific winner. [Ernst & Young (CNW Group Ltd.)] Press Release

Aurinia Announces that Voclosporin Achieves Primary and All Pre-Specified Secondary Endpoints in Its Phase IIb AURA-LV Study for Lupus Nephritis (LN)

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that in addition to voclosporin achieving its primary endpoint of complete remission at 24 weeks, both doses of voclosporin when added to the current standard of care of Mycophenolate Mofetil and a forced oral corticosteroid taper have met all 24-week pre-specified secondary endpoints vs the control group. [Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.] Press Release

Medicine Nobel for Research on How Cells ‘Eat Themselves’

Molecular biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in the field of autophagy: the processes by which the cell digests and recycles its own components. [Nature News] Editorial | Press Release

Democratic Databases: Science on GitHub

Scientists are turning to a software-development site to share data and code. [Nature Toolbox] Editorial

Biologists Plan Scoring System for Antibodies

Biomedical experts plan to create a scoring system that will help researchers choose reliable antibodies for their experiments. The only problems: figuring out how such a ranking would work — and getting manufacturers to adopt the standard. [Nature News] Editorial

UK Bioethicists Eye Designer Babies and CRISPR Cows

From designer babies to engineered mosquitoes, advances in genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR–Cas9 have raised the possibility of tremendous scientific advances — and serious ethical concerns. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Advances in Cell Engineering, Imaging and Screening
November 17-18, 2016
Leuven, Belgium

NEW British Society for Immunology Congress
December 6-9, 2016
Liverpool, United Kingdom

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

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Immunology (Klinikum der Universität München)

NEW Faculty Positions – Immunology (Ohio State University)

Research Associate – Cellular Therapy (California Institute for Biomedical Research)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Molecular Immunology (University of California San Diego School of Medicine)

Faculty Positions – Various Areas (Jackson Laboratory)

Postdoctoral Fellow Position – Stem Cell Biology & Immunology (Toronto General Research Institute & McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine)

Faculty Position – Immunology (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Mucosal Immunology (University of Utah)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Metastatic Breast Cancer (Purdue Center for Cancer Research)

Assistant Associate – Cancer Immunology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunomodulatory Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (NYU Langone Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Thymic and Immune Regeneration (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

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