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Articles on Cancer immunotherapy

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This microscopy image shows a cytotoxic T cell (blue) attacking a cancer cell (green) by releasing toxic chemicals (red). Alex Ritter and Jennifer Lippincott Schwartz and Gillian Griffiths/National Institutes of Health via Flickr

Immune cells that fight cancer become exhausted within hours of first encountering tumors – new research

T cells recognize and kill cancer cells but quickly lose their effectiveness. This fast dysfunction may help explain why immunotherapy doesn’t lead to long-term remission for many patients.
Gain-of-function experiments in the lab can help researchers get ahead of viruses naturally gaining the ability to infect people in the wild. KTSDesign/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Gain-of-function research is more than just tweaking risky viruses – it’s a routine and essential tool in all biology research

From cancer immunotherapy and antibiotics to GMO crops and pandemic surveillance, gain of function is a cornerstone of basic research.
Most tumors are made up of many different kinds of cancer cells, as shown in this pancreatic cancer sample from a mouse. Ravikanth Maddipati/Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania via National Cancer Institute

Every cancer is unique – why different cancers require different treatments, and how evolution drives drug resistance

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating cancer. Understanding how cancer cells evolve could help researchers develop more effective drugs.
Killer T cells (green and red), or cytotoxic T cells, surround a cancer cell (blue, center). NICHD/J. Lippincott-Schwartz

Anti-cancer CAR-T therapy reengineers T cells to kill tumors – and researchers are expanding the limited types of cancer it can target

Immunotherapy has the potential to eliminate tumors, but works best for select patients. Engineering T cells to bypass cancer’s defenses could help expand treatment eligibility to more patients.
Dendritic cells (green) produce cytokines like IL-12, which can train T cells (pink) to attack tumors. Victor Segura Ibarra and Rita Serda/National Cancer Institute via Flickr

‘Masked’ cancer drug stealthily trains immune system to kill tumors while sparing healthy tissues, reducing treatment side effects

One promising cancer treatment has been in the works for decades, but severe side effects have kept it out of the clinic. A reengineered version may offer a way to safely harness its potent effects.
A woman holds her stomach in agony from ulcerative colitis. Emily Frost / Shutterstock.com

Stool transplantation shows promise treating cancer therapy side effect

Cancer immunotherapy is a revolutionary treatment for many but it can cause nasty side effects like inflammation of the colon that can derail treatment. Could the solution be a fecal transplant?
James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo win the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their foundational work on cancer immunotherapy. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Kyoto University

2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: a turning point in the war on cancer

James Allison and Tasuku Honjo won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for encouraging immune cells to attack cancer. See how their work has revolutionized cancer therapies and medicine.
Applications to list drugs on the PBS are usually submitted by the manufacturers of those drugs. from shutterstock.com

We don’t need to change how we subsidise ‘breakthrough’ cancer treatments

Some argue the current system of subsidising drugs in Australia needs changing to accommodate new cancer therapies. But two recent drug listings show the current system is working perfectly well.
Some of the notable additions to the PBS include drugs to treat eye and HIV infections, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. from shutterstock.com

New drugs on the PBS: what they do and why we need them

An independent expert provides his pick of the most notable drugs added to the PBS on May 1, 2017.

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