Articles tagged with Cytotoxic T Cells
Researchers at Emory Vaccine Center found that infusing immune cells back into patients after a period of conditioning can revive exhausted cells. This cell-based treatment, combined with an antibody against PD-1, reduced viral levels by a factor of four and made the virus undetectable in some mice.
Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a method to enhance the functionality of killer T-cells, which can help fight melanoma and other cancers. The study found that priming killer T cells with IL-12 increased their ability to recognize and target cancer cells.
Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) get a head start on viral replication by dividing early during their journey to infected tissue. This allows them to quickly respond to the virus upon arrival, making them more effective in defending against infection.
A new study demonstrates the effectiveness of immunotherapy using specialized white blood cells to prevent or treat EBV-lymphoma in patients who have received a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The therapy achieved sustained complete remission in 85% of treated patients and long-term protection for up to nine years.
Researchers found that estrogen temperes the killing activity of cytotoxic T cells through the molecule EBAG9. In its absence, CTLs release more tumor-killing enzymes, making them more effective at attacking cancer cells.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center discovered two biochemical signals promoting the development of memory cells in immune cells. These signals, interferon alpha and IL-12, play distinct roles in driving immediate and long-term immunity.
Researchers found that HIV's invisibility comes at a cost: reduced replication, and only in certain individuals with specific HLA proteins
Researchers have successfully tested a method to adjust the immune system to accept transplanted cells as 'self' in mice. The complex combines IL-2 with an antibody to stimulate T regulatory cells, boosting specific populations and subduing others.
Researchers have engineered killer T-cells with a receptor that can recognize and destroy HIV-infected cells, regardless of the virus's disguise. This technology may lead to a powerful therapy for HIV treatment and could also be applied to other infectious agents.
Scientists have discovered a way to silence a protein that helps leukemia cells survive by blocking its signals. The breakthrough could lead to more efficient treatments for the disease and potentially even reverse its effects.
Researchers at Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology found that tiny pores on the cell surface allow granzymes to enter cells, providing a new target for therapeutic methods. The discovery could lead to improved treatments for chronic virus infections and cancer.
A study reveals that immune killer T cells induce cell death by disrupting mitochondria in two distinct ways, targeting enzymes and reactive oxygen production. This understanding provides a new insight into the major T cell defense pathway against viral infections and cancer.
Researchers at PARC-MGH found that chronic viral replication leads to exhaustion of HIV-specific T cells. The study suggests that understanding the nature of CTL responses is crucial for designing effective vaccines against HIV. Persistent exposure to specific viral protein segments appears to be the key factor in CTL exhaustion.
Activating OX40 protein in mice eliminates existing tumors and prevents new ones from forming, suggesting its potential as an anti-cancer therapy. The approach may mitigate the risk of autoimmune disease, as the mice showed no signs of autoimmunity.
Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine genetically engineered immune cells to target and kill HIV-infected cells. This approach, using genes from elite controllers' immune systems, could lead to a new strategy for combating AIDS. The study shows promise in both test tubes and animal models.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that administering interleukin-7 during a specific stage of infection can increase the number of killer cells capable of destroying virus-infected cells, enhancing immune memory. This discovery may lead to improved vaccine efficacy against HIV and cancer.
Researchers at Queen's University have found a way to manipulate the immune system by introducing virus components that activate killer T cells. This discovery may lead to more effective vaccines against diseases like influenza or HIV, as well as enhanced immunology treatments.
A novel combination therapy has been developed to prevent three common viruses – cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and adenovirus – in transplant patients. The treatment, called Trivirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), proved effective and safe in a phase 1 trial, reducing the risk of death from these infections.
Researchers created a biosensor using quantum dots to mimic the clustering of MHC proteins on target cells, revealing strong contributions from non-viral peptide-MHC interaction with co-receptors. This cooperativity suggests that a single virus-MHC complex recognized in self-MHC complexes can activate a T-cell response.
American and South African scientists discovered how HIV exhausts killer T cells, which attack the virus. By blocking a molecular switch called programmed death-1 (PD-1), they can reinvigorate these T cells.
Researchers developed a vaccine strategy using the BRAFV600E peptide to stimulate killer T cells, showing potential for treating approximately a third of melanoma patients. The approach's specificity reduces toxicity and targets only cancer cells.
Researchers found that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) kill only a fraction of infected cells, with most deaths attributed to other factors. The study suggests that CTL-based vaccines may not prevent or clear HIV infection and could control the number of infected cells instead.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a cancer vaccine that uses the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes to boost an immune response against breast tumor-associated antigens. The vaccine was tested in mice with established breast tumors, resulting in complete tumor eradication after 100 days.
Exposing cells to chloroquine prevents acidification of compartments, allowing proteins to escape and be broken down into smaller pieces displayed to cytolytic T cells. This boosts hepatitis B virus-specific T cell responses in up to 70% of vaccine recipients.
Tumors secrete fatty acids that block cytotoxic T lymphocytes' ability to kill cancer cells, reducing the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies. This discovery raises possibilities for new therapeutic targets and monitoring tumor aggressiveness through free fatty acid levels.
Researchers used two-photon microscopy to visualize thymocyte migration in intact thymuses. The study found that positively selected T cells follow a clear directional course to the medulla, suggesting long-range signaling cues guide this process.
Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have identified an immune-system mutation in mice that can help them understand how T cells specialize to do different jobs. The mutation, which affects the helper-deficient (HD) mice strain, was found to redirect immature T cells towards killer-cell pathways.
Researchers found that a cancer vaccine can stimulate the production of CTLs against specific antigens and also reactivate spontaneously produced CTL populations against multiple cancer antigens in about 10% of patients with metastatic melanoma. This non-specific process could potentially eliminate bulk of tumor cells.
Researchers found that IL15 induces a series of biochemical changes in NKG2D signaling pathway converting CTL cells into Lymphokine-Activated Killer Cells. MICA molecules are present in elevated amounts in celiac patients' intestinal cells, providing a target for immune cell attacks
Researchers found that cross-priming, a key mechanism in T-cell activation, is directly correlated with the levels of whole proteins expressed by virus-infected cells. This new information could lead to the development of vaccines effective against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Researchers found that a new MVA vaccine was effective in protecting monkeys from both smallpox and monkeypox. The vaccine elicited similar immune responses as the current Dryvax vaccine, with all immunized animals surviving a lethal monkeypox infection and showing no clinical signs of disease.
A traditional herbal medicine enhances bilirubin clearance by activating the nuclear receptor CAR, potentially improving pharmaceutical treatments for neonatal jaundice. Additionally, a viral cure for type 1 diabetes has been discovered, where infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus completely abolishes the diabetic process i...
Researchers found that rare variations of HLA-A and HLA-B genes can protect against HIV. The study, which analyzed data from 996 HIV-infected men in Chicago, suggests that these genetic variants may be used to develop targeted AIDS vaccines.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new technique for creating targeted, antigen-specific immune cells in the lab. The method uses artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) to convert generic immune cells into effective disease-fighters.
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that HIV-specific killer T cells in AIDS patients are remnants of a once-effective response early after infection. The high number of these cells can no longer recognize mutated autologous virus, leading to disease progression.
Researchers found that HIV-specific killer T cells in asymptomatic individuals can recognize and kill both laboratory strain and autologous virus-infected target cells. However, these cells in symptomatic patients with AIDS are no longer effective against their own mutated virus.
Researchers found that CD8 T cell responses from laboratory workers vaccinated decades ago remained robust and long-lasting. The findings suggest a need for reevaluation of the durability of smallpox vaccine-induced immunity.
A glycolipid called a-GalCer enhances long-lasting CTL mediated immunity against malaria in mouse models. It interacts with NKT cells to bridge innate and adaptive immunity.
The study reveals key mechanisms and pathways involved in immune response regulation. It highlights the importance of understanding immunological functions to develop new therapeutic approaches.
Researchers have discovered long-term potentiation, a brain process that strengthens connections and promotes memory. This process involves the rapid relocation of receptors in synapses, leading to increased synaptic transmission and potentially explaining why memory can falter.
Researchers have developed optimized antiviral peptide vaccines that exhibit enhanced efficacy against various viral infections, including HIV and SARS-CoV-2. These improvements are attributed to the incorporation of specific amino acid sequences that enhance immune responses.
A new study proposes that helper T cells serve as a critical switch for killer T cell activation and tolerance. The researchers found that the presence or absence of these helper T cells determines whether killer T cells will attack or retreat from virus-infected and cancerous cells.
Researchers have found that leukemia cells resist apoptosis due to constitutive activation of STAT3 and/or STAT1. AG-490, a JAK inhibitor, promotes apoptosis in these cells by blocking STAT3 function.
Researchers at Dendreon Corporation have developed a method for generating enhanced immune responses with potentially important implications for therapeutic cancer vaccines. The approach involves modifying antigens to optimize uptake and processing by dendritic cells, resulting in significant cytotoxic T-cell activity.
A new prototype vaccine activates cytotoxic T-lymphocytes to destroy cancer cells using telomerase as a target. The vaccine has shown promise in both human and transgenic mice, indicating potential effectiveness against various types of cancer.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine found that immune system cells can attack normal cells carrying mimic molecules, leading to autoimmune diseases like arthritis. The study suggests subtle changes that could underlie many autoimmune diseases and offers a starting point for investigating environmental or genetic triggers.
Scientists create mouse model to track immature T cells' transformation into specialized killer T cells capable of destroying infected or cancerous cells. The research aims to understand how the immune system thwarts T cell functionality in diseases like HIV and cancer.
University of Pittsburgh researchers discover that boosting CD8 T cells, also known as killer T cells, can establish long-term immunity against HIV-1. By treating dendritic cells with HIV-1 proteins and interleukin-12, the immune system can be trained to recognize and attack infected cells.
Researchers found that cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) can recognize and target different HIV strains, suggesting a potential universal vaccine. CTLs play a key role in the immune response against HIV, with high levels seen in long-term nonprogressors and individuals who remain uninfected despite multiple exposures.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin Medical School have shown that vaccination can reduce or prevent fatal immune responses to a virus in mice, even though the virus continues to live in the animals. This finding has important implications for treating chronic and latent viral infections such as AIDS, herpes, and tuberculosis.