Immune Regulation News Volume 3.11 | Mar 25 2011

May 12, 2022

137

Immune Regulation News 3.11, March 25, 2011.

In this issue: Science News | Current Publications | Industry News | Policy News | Events

TOP STORY

NIH Study Identifies Gene that Suppresses Cell’s Immune Activation
By identifying a gene that makes immune cells suppressive, the researchers may have found a new target for enhancing immune responses to cancer tumor cells. [Press release from the National Institutes of Health discussing online prepublication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation]

SCIENCE NEWS

Penn Researchers Uncover Novel Immune Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
Researchers have discovered a novel way of treating pancreatic cancer by activating the immune system to destroy the cancer’s scaffolding. [Press release from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center discussing online prepublication in Science]

AAAAI: Drug Speeds Up Milk Allergy Treatment
“Rush” desensitization for food allergies may be feasible by toning down immune response with the monoclonal antibody omalizumab (Xolair), according to a proof-of-concept study. [Press release from MedPage Today discussing data presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Meeting]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)

CD40 Agonists Alter Tumor Stroma and Show Efficacy Against Pancreatic Carcinoma in Mice and Humans
Because CD40 activation can reverse immune suppression and drive antitumor T cell responses, researchers tested the combination of an agonist CD40 antibody with gemcitabine chemotherapy in a small cohort of patients with surgically incurable PDA and observed tumor regressions in some patients. [Science]

Eosinophils Sustain Adipose Alternatively Activated Macrophages Associated with Glucose Homeostasis
Here, researchers show that eosinophils are the major IL-4–expressing cells in white adipose tissues of mice, and, in their absence, alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs) are greatly attenuated. [Science]

The P4-Type ATPase ATP11C is Essential for B Lymphopoiesis in Adult Bone Marrow
Here researchers describe two allelic X-linked mutations in mice that caused cell-intrinsic arrest of adult B lymphopoiesis. [Nat Immunol]

ATP11C is Critical for the Internalization of Phosphatidylserine and Differentiation of B Lymphocytes
Here researchers describe a previously unknown X-linked B cell–deficiency syndrome in mice caused by mutations in Atp11c, which encodes a member of the P4 ATPase family thought to serve as ‘flippases’ that concentrate aminophospholipids in the cytoplasmic leaflet of cell membranes. [Nat Immunol]

CD94 Is Essential for NK Cell-Mediated Resistance to a Lethal Viral Disease
Here researchers show that CD94, a molecule preferentially expressed by natural killer (NK) cells, is essential for the resistance of C57BL/6 mice to mousepox, a disease caused by the Orthopoxvirus ectromelia virus. [Immunity]

FOXO3 Programs Tumor-Associated DCs to Become Tolerogenic in Human and Murine Prostate Cancer
In this study, researchers describe a population of tumor-associated dendritic cells in both human and mouse prostate cancer that tolerizes and induces suppressive activity in tumor-specific T cells. [J Clin Invest]

Regulation of T Cell Receptor Signaling by Activation-Induced Zinc Influx
Researchers provide evidence that zinc functions as an ionic signaling molecule after T cell activation. [J Exp Med]

Evolution of the Donor T Cell Repertoire in Recipients in the Second Decade after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT)
The immune repertoire and its relation to that of the donor have not been characterized in detail in long term adult SCT survivors. Researchers studied 21 healthy individuals in their second decade following a myeloablative SCT for hematological malignancy (median follow-up 12 years). [Blood]

Attenuated Bordetella pertussis Vaccine Candidate BPZE1 Promotes Human Dendritic Cell CCL21-Induced Migration and Drives a Th1/Th17 Response
The findings support the potential of BPZE1 as a novel live attenuated pertussis vaccine, as BPZE1-challenged dendritic cells might migrate from the site of infection to the lymph nodes, prime Th cells, mount an adaptive immune response, and orchestrate Th1/Th17 and Ts responses. [J Immunol]

INDUSTRY NEWS

The Cost Burden of Autoimmune Disease (AD): The Latest Front in the War on Healthcare Spending
The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) and the National Coalition of Patient Groups (NCAPG) have released a white paper on the fiscal impact of ADs on patients and U.S. healthcare spending. [AARDA White Paper]

Opexa to Present Tovaxin® Data at 2011 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting
Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing a novel T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis, announced that the Company has been selected to present key Tovaxin® data at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 63rd Annual Meeting to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii April 9-16, 2011. [Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. Press Release]

Immunomedics Awarded Three US Patents Covering Its Cancer Therapeutic Product Candidates and Technologies
Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases, reported that 3 US patents were awarded. [Globe Newswire]

Seattle Genetics Announces Antibody-Drug Conjugate Collaboration with Abbott
Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Abbott under which Abbott will pay an upfront fee of $8 million for rights to utilize Seattle Genetics’ antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology with antibodies to a single oncology target. [Seattle Genetics, Inc. Press Release]

VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Presents Positive Clinical and Pre-Clinical Data at American Academy of Allergy & Immunology Annual Meeting
VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel Toll-Like Receptor 8 (TLR8) agonists and antagonists for the treatment of cancer, respiratory and autoimmune diseases, announced the presentation of positive clinical results from its randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating VTX-1463 for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. [VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release]