Takara Bio RetroNectin to UCLA for TCR-gene Therapy Clinical Trials in Advanced Melanoma Dec 21, 2008
In the UCLA clinical trial, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from melanoma patients are retrovirally-transduced in vitro utilizing the RetroNectin method with a gene encoding T-cell receptor (TCR) which specifically recognizes tumor antigen MART-1 expressing on melanoma cells. The TCR-gene transduced PBMCs will be expanded in vitro and then infused back into the patients, so that the transduced PBMCs can specifically recognize and attack the tumor cells in the patients. (JCN Network, Japan)
'Assassin' cells home in on HIV Nov 11, 2008
To do this, the scientists attach extra versions of the "T-cell receptor", the part of the cell responsible for scanning and removing infected cells, which have been preset to identify various HIV mutations. In laboratory studies, the modified T-cells were able to destroy HIV cells in a laboratory cell culture. (BBC News -- Health)
Bionic assassins sent on a search-and-destroy mission against HIV ... Nov 10, 2008
The international team of scientists have engineered a T-cell receptor which can recognise all of the different disguises that HIV is known to have used to evade detection. The researchers attached this receptor to the killer T-cells to create geneticallyengineered bionic assassins able to destroy HIV-infected cells in culture. (WalesOnline)
HIV's disguises no match for 'bionic assassins' Nov 10, 2008
Now, Professor Sewell and colleagues from Adaptimmune Ltd and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have engineered and tested a killer T-cell receptor that is able to recognise all of the different disguises that HIV is known to have used to evade detection ... "The T-cell receptor is nature's way of scanning and removing infected cells it is uniquely designed for the job but probably fails in HIV because of the tremendous capability of the virus to mutate," says Dr Bent Jakobsen,... (EurekAlert!)
NIH scientists discover crucial control in long-lasting immunity Oct 11, 2008
Without SAP, however, it is as if the arms of the T-cell receptor cannot firmly grasp the antigenic arms of the B cell, and thus the tango between the two immune cells does not last. The inability of SAP-negative T cells to adhere to B cells prevents B cells from receiving crucial signals they need to become antibody-secreting cells and to generate functional germinal centers. (EurekAlert!)
RNA stops HIV in its tracks Aug 11, 2008
When the siRNA complex is injected into these mice it latches onto the T-cell receptor and is taken up by the cells. Here the siRNA lies in wait for any invading HIV, which it then prevents from replicating by interfering with the manufacture of essential viral proteins. (Chemistry World)
Genetic breakthrough in HIV fight Mar 8, 2008
CTL's T-cell receptor, which is unique for each CTL has two "chains," alpha and beta, the researchers isolated the genes that code for each of the two "chains" from the potent HIV-specific CTL. ... During the study, the researchers injected mice with both HIV-infected human cells and with reprogrammed naive CTLs into which the HIV-recognizing T-cell receptor genes had been inserted using the lentiviral delivery system. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Einstein researchers genetically engineer immune cells into potent weapons for battling HIV Mar 7, 2008
Detecting virus-infected cells so they can then be eliminated is the job of CTLs and the protein molecules, known as T-cell receptors, that jut from their surface. If a CTLs T-cell receptor has the right amino acid sequence, it will recognize the HIV peptide on the infected cell as foreign--prompting the CTL to multiply and attack the infected cell ... Why, then, are super CTLs of elite controllers so effective in killing HIV-infected cells" The explanation, the Einstein researchers postulated,... (EurekAlert!)
Pixantrone Shows Activity in a Preclinical Study of Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis (EAMG) Feb 11, 2008
Results reported in The Journal of Immunology SEATTLE, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (Nasdaq and MTAX: CTIC) announced that pixantrone was shown to reduce the severity of clinical manifestation in the animal model of the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis (MG). MG is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body due to autoantibodies acting against the Acethylcholine... (PR Newswire)
News Tips from the Journal of Neuroscience Nov 14, 2007
Specific recombinant T-cell receptor ligands (RTLs) can prevent or treat experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a commonly used animal model of MS. These RTLs contain encephalitogenic peptides linked to the outer two domains of restricting MHC class II molecules. This week, Sinha et al. constructed a new one, RTL551, from the outer domains of the I-Ab class II molecule and an encephalitogenic peptide derived from myelin oligodendrocyte protein (MOG-35-55). (EurekAlert!)
HIV Escape Mutations Aug 27, 2007
Viral escape from CTL response due to mutation within the targeted epitope affect either the ability of the epitope to bind for presentation by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule on the cell surface, or alter the ability of the T-cell receptor (TCR) to recognize the MHC peptide complex ... Meanwhile the same mutation in a second partially overlapping epitope can impair MHC-peptide-TCR (T-cell receptor) interaction affecting immune recognition of the altered epitope. (Suite101.com)
Penn study finds pro-death proteins required to regulate healthy immune function Aug 11, 2007
Activation of T-cell receptors on the surface of lymphocytes by foreign antigens initiate a calcium-mediated signaling pathway that ends in cell differentiation and growth ... Specifically, the team found that when the T-cell receptor was stimulated on mutant cells lacking both proteins, proliferation was severely reduced relative to normal cells. (EurekAlert!)
John Marchalonis dies Jul 19, 2007
In 1992, Marchalonis' group was one of the first to show that humans have autoantibodies to T-cell receptors, suggesting the immune system recognizes and regulates itself in both healthy humans and those with autoimmune disorders. The group generated synthetic fragments of T-cell receptors and found that human IgG recognizes certain characteristic patterns of the receptors ... J. J. Marchalonis et al., "Human autoantibodies reactive with synthetic autoantigens from T-cell receptor beta chain,"... (The Scientist)
Engineered protein effective against Staphylococcus aureus toxin May 22, 2007
They bind to variable regions of T-cell receptors, stimulating a cascade of events, including the systemic release of inflammatory cytokines ... Structure of an SEB molecule (blue) in complex with the variable region (grey with colored loops) of the T-cell receptor protein ... The team began by engineering a protein with the same structure as the binding site of the T-cell receptor targeted by SEB. The researchers expressed the engineered protein on the surface of yeast cells (using a process... (EurekAlert!)
The awesome opossum gets sequenced May 10, 2007
In particular, the discovery of a gene that encodes for a unique form of T-cell receptor not found in placental mammals "knocks that assumption on its head", she says. "It shows that they have a very sophisticated immune system, but one that's very different.". (Nature News Service)
ALPS: Lymphoproliferative Syndrome Apr 8, 2007
Signs and symptoms in autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome include moderate to massive splenomegaly (enlarged spleen), skin rashes, frequent nosebleeds, enlarged lymph nodes especially in the neck, enlarged liver, petechia (small bruises), edema, evidence of autoimmunity expressed usually as , increased levels of gamma immunoglobulins (hypergammaglobulinemia), B-cell lymphocytosis (increased number of B-lymphocytes), thrombocytopenia (decreased platelets), autoimmune neutropenia (decreased... (Suite101.com)
Invariant Natural Killer T Cells in Asthma and COPD Apr 5, 2007
-galactosylceramide and antibodies specific to the invariant natural killer T-cell receptor in samples of bronchoalveolar-lavage fluid, induced sputum, and bronchial-biopsy specimens obtained from subjects with mild or moderately severe asthma, subjects with COPD, and healthy control subjects. Real-time polymerase-chain-reaction analysis was performed on bronchoalveolar-lavage cells for evidence of gene expression of the invariant natural killer T-cell receptor ... No expression of messenger RNA... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Natural Killer T Cells in Asthma — Toward Increased Understanding Apr 5, 2007
They express an invariant T-cell receptor that recognizes glycolipids rather than peptides. Natural killer T cells are known to modulate the activity of disease-causing. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Green Tea May Prevent HIV Infection Mar 30, 2007
"Epigallocatechin gallate, the main polyphenol in green tea, binds to the T-cell receptor, CD4: Potential for HIV-1 therapy." Williamson MP, McCormick TG, Nance CL, Shearer WT. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, December 2006 (Vol. 118, Issue 6, Pages 1369-1374). (Medical News Today)
The Immune Response Corporation Injects First Patient in Trial of NeuroVax(TM) for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Mar 8, 2007
March 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Immune Response Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: IMRP) today announced the injection of the first patient in a large multi-center Phase II study of NeuroVax(TM), an investigational T-Cell Receptor peptide vaccine for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) ... NeuroVax(TM), which is based on the Company's patented T-cell receptor (TCR) peptide vaccine technology, has shown potential clinical value in the treatment of relapsing forms of... (PR Newswire)
The Immune Response Corporation Extends Warrants Exercise Deadline Mar 1, 2007
NeuroVax(TM), which is based on the Company's patented T-cell receptor (TCR) peptide vaccine technology, has shown potential clinical value in the treatment of relapsing forms of MS. NeuroVax(TM) has been shown to stimulate strong, disease-specific cell-mediated immunity in nearly all patients treated and appears to work by enhancing levels of FOXP3+ Treg cells that are able to down regulate the activity of pathogenic T-cells that cause MS. Increasing scientific findings have associated... (PR Newswire)
Foxp3 targets revealed Jan 23, 2007
This made it easier to observe the effects of T-cell receptor stimulation, explained study's first author, Alexander Marson. "Foxp3 exerts a much stronger influence on its target genes in stimulated cells than in unstimulated cells," he noted. (The Scientist)
The Immune Response Corporation Announces Receipt of Milestone Payment From NovaRx Corporation Jan 5, 2007
"In addition, this milestone payment further strengthens our balance sheet which will enable us to further the progress of our key products NeuroVax(TM), an investigational T-cell receptor (TCR) peptide vaccine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), and IR103, for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), both of which are at critical stages of their development." About The Immune Response Corporation The Immune Response Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: IMRP) is an... (PR Newswire)
