T-cell therapy fights viral infections following stem cell transplants January 13, 2023 -- Baylor College of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine researchers studied posoleucel, an investigational off-the-shelf T-cell therapy that simultaneously targets six different viruses. The results, published January 11 in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, showed promising antiviral efficacy and safety in a phase II clinical trial of patients who had undergone stem cell transplantation to treat blood diseases including cancer.Read More
Optimizing AAV vectors for gene therapy delivery January 10, 2023 -- Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) can be engineered to deliver DNA to target cells. It is used extensively for the development of viral vector-based gene therapies in the pipeline. However, researchers encounter challenges with producing sufficient quantities of AAVs for gene therapy products, and they struggle to get delivery vehicles and their genetic payloads into the brain across the blood-brain barrier.Read More
Cancer-killing vaccine may also prevent brain cancer January 4, 2023 -- Harvard Stem Cell Institute scientists are harnessing a new method of turning cancer cells into potent, anti-cancer agents. Their new cell therapy approach to eliminating established tumors also trains the immune system to prevent cancer from recurring, providing long-term immunity. The NIH-funded study, published January 4 in Science Translational Medicine, showed promising results when the approach was tested on mice with glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer.Read More
Common genetic cause of late-onset ataxia revealed December 16, 2022 -- A Quebec-led international collaboration has discovered a previously unknown common genetic cause of late-onset cerebellar ataxia. The study, published December 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine, may potentially improve diagnosis and open new treatment avenues for thousands of people with this debilitating neurodegenerative condition worldwide.Read More