2022
December
Working 9 to 5: circadian rhythm in immune cells affects immunotherapy
December 21, 2022
While it is known that both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system follow circadian rhythms, the mechanisms behind these rhythms and their effects on vaccination treatment efficacy, particularly in the cancer setting, remain largely unknown. Two recent papers by Wang et al. in Nature and Cervantes-Silva and Carroll et al...
MEK inhibition increases TAAs and targetable pMHCs
December 14, 2022
In NRAS/BRAF-mutant melanoma, MEK and BRAF inhibitors (MEKi/BRAFi) are known to increase expression of tumor antigens and upregulate pMHCs, leading to increased antitumor immune responses. However, MEK/BRAF inhibitors alone are not usually effective long-term, and when used in combination with immunotherapies, can cause high toxicity. To better understand the effects of MEKi/BRAFi and...
Bring in the B cells with an immunotoxin
December 7, 2022
The tumor-associated antigen mesothelin (MSLN) is expressed by mesothelioma and other types of cancer. LMB-100 is an immunotoxin consisting of a Fab recognizing human MSLN that is linked to a toxin (Pseudomonas exotoxin A), which induces direct tumor cell killing by arresting protein synthesis. Liu et al. investigated in a mesothelioma mouse model...
