Human Immunology News Volume 7.38 | Oct 1 2019

TOP STORY

Analysis of the B Cell Receptor Repertoire in Six Immune-Mediated Diseases

Researchers compared the B cell receptor repertoire in systemic lupus erythematosus, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, Crohn’s disease, Behçet’s disease, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and immunoglobulin A vasculitis by analyzing B cell receptor clonality, use of immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region genes and—in particular—isotype use. [Nature] Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Multiple Sclerosis Genomic Map Implicates Peripheral Immune Cells and Microglia in Susceptibility

Scientists highlight the importance of several cells of the peripheral and brain resident immune systems—implicating both the adaptive and innate arms—in the translation of multiple sclerosis genetic risk into an auto-immune inflammatory process that targets the central nervous system and triggers a neurodegenerative cascade. [Science] Full Article

Delivery of mRNA Vaccines with Heterocyclic Lipids Increases Anti-Tumor Efficacy by Sting-Mediated Immune Cell Activation

The authors developed a combinatorial library of ionizable lipid-like materials to identify mRNA delivery vehicles that facilitate mRNA delivery in vivo and provide potent and specific immune activation. [Nat Biotechnol] Abstract | Press Release

Landscape of Stimulation-Responsive Chromatin across Diverse Human Immune Cells

Researchers collected assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing and RNA sequencing data under resting and stimulated conditions for up to 32 immune cell populations. Stimulation caused widespread chromatin remodeling, including response elements shared between stimulated B and T cells. [Nat Genet] Abstract | Full Article

CAR Exosomes Derived from Effector CAR-T Cells Have Potent Antitumor Effects and Low Toxicity

Investigators report that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells released extracellular vesicles, mostly in the form of exosomes that carried CAR on their surface. The CAR-containing exosomes expressed a high level of cytotoxic molecules and inhibit tumor growth. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Zika Virus Enhances Monocyte Adhesion and Transmigration Favoring Viral Dissemination to Neural Cells

Scientists showed that Zika virus-infected monocytes represent suitable carriers for viral dissemination to the central nervous system using human primary monocytes, cerebral organoids derived from embryonic stem cells, organotypic mouse cerebellar slices, a xenotypic human-zebrafish model, and human fetus brain samples. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Restricting Glycolysis Preserves T Cell Effector Functions and Augments Checkpoint Therapy

The authors report that melanoma patients with high expression of glycolysis-related genes showed a worse progression free survival upon anti-PD1 treatment. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac lowered lactate secretion of tumor cells and improved anti-PD1-induced T cell killing in vitro. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Tissue-Regenerative Potential of the Secretome of γ-Irradiated Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Is Mediated via TNFRSF1B-Induced Necroptosis

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been shown to produce and release a plethora of pro-angiogenetic factors in response to γ-irradiation, partially accounting for their tissue-regenerative capacity. Scientists investigated whether a certain cell subtype of PBMCs was responsible for this effect, and whether the type of cell death affects the pro-angiogenic potential of bioactive molecules released by γ-irradiated PBMCs. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

LncRNA SNHG14/miR-5590-3p/ZEB1 Positive Feedback Loop Promoted Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Progression and Immune Evasion through Regulating PD-1/PD-L1 Checkpoint

SNHG14 sponged miR-5590-3p to upregulate zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), and ZEB1 transcriptionally activated SNHG14 and programmed death-1 (PD-L1) to promote the immune evasion of diffuse large B cell lymphoma cells. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Synergy between B Cell Receptor/Antigen Uptake and MHCII Peptide Editing Relies on HLA-DO Tuning

In model cell lines and human tonsillar B cells, researchers found that tunable DM/DO stoichiometry governed DM_free activity for exchange of placeholder CLIP peptides with high affinity MHCII ligands. [Sci Rep] Full Article

HLA Class I-Restricted T Cell Epitopes Isolated and Identified from Myeloid Leukemia Cells

The authors analyzed and compared the leukemia-associated antigens and HLA-I epitopes based on various immunotherapeutic targets selection criteria. [Sci Rep] Full Article

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Tumor-Intrinsic Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Blockade

Scientists review molecular mechanisms of resistance and explore ongoing approaches to overcome resistance to immune checkpoint blockade and expand the spectrum of patients who can benefit from immune checkpoint blockade. [Nat Rev Immunol] Abstract

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Tmunity Announces Exclusive License and Research Collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to Advance GPC2 CAR-T Cell Therapy for Neuroblastoma

Tmunity Therapeutics, Inc. announced it has entered into an exclusive license and research collaboration agreement with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to advance a glypican 2 (GPC2) chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for the treatment of neuroblastoma. [Tmunity Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Harvard University Establishes mRNA Immunotherapy Research Collaboration with Moderna

Harvard University has established a multi-year research collaboration with the biotech company Moderna, Inc., with the goal of identifying and developing novel therapeutic approaches that could improve the lives of patients with immunological diseases. [Harvard University] Press Release

ElevateBio Launches HighPassBio to Advance Novel Targeted T Cell Immunotherapies with Technology from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research

ElevateBio announced it has established and launched HighPassBio, a company dedicated to advancing novel targeted T cell immunotherapies. [ElevateBio] Press Release

India Pushes for Alternatives to Animals in Biomedical Research

India has become the latest nation to explore using emerging technologies such as organs-on-a-chip to replace animals in research. Earlier this month, the national regulator for biomedical research recommended fast-tracking investments in technologies that can replace animals. [Nature News] Editorial

China: How Science Made a Superpower

The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing featured ancient China’s four great inventions: the compass, printing press, paper and gunpowder. The lesson on display, as taught in classrooms across the country that today publishes the most research papers, is that Chinese innovation in science and technology changed the world. [Nature News] Editorial

Two-Thirds of Researchers Report ‘Pressure to Cite’ in Nature Poll

An online poll answered by more than 4,300 Nature readers suggests that most researchers have felt pressured by peer reviewers to cite studies in their papers that seem unnecessary. [Nature News] Editorial

French Research Budget Disappoints

The French government’s spending on research will stay flat at around €7 billion (US$7.6 million) in 2020 — a sure disappointment to scientists who say that their president and prime minister have often emphasized the importance of research. [Nature News] Editorial

Three Percent of NIH Grants Involved a Direct Financial Conflict of Interest, Watchdog Report Finds

Financial conflicts of interest that could bias researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) are rare, a report released last week found: About 3% of the 55,600 grants the agency awarded in 2018 involved at least one researcher reporting such a conflict. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW Precision Health: Molecular Basis, Technology and Digital Health
November 13-16, 2019
Heidelberg, Germany

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NEW Senior Scientist – Immunology (Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology)

NEW Senior Scientific Researcher – Immunology Discovery (Genentech, Inc.)

Research Technologist (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Human Immunology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Associate – Immune Cell Culture (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Senior Associate Scientist – Molecular and Cellular Neuroimmunology (Amgen)

Research Technician – Immune Cells (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Human Immunology (University of Gothenburg)

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biology and Immunology (Columbia University)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Autoimmune Diseases (Benaroya Research Institute)

Senior Scientific Researcher – Inflammatory Diseases (Genentech, Inc.)

Research Assistant – Immunology (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Position – Immunology of Enteric Infections (University of Utah)

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