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COVID 19: How it affects the immune system
A study published in Nature was able to shed light on the changes to the immune system in response to COVID 19 infection. Researchers in Australia were able to get serial blood samples from a patient that was hospitalized with COVID 19 and eventually recovered from the disease. This is the first study of its […]
Immunology/ Oncology News – week of Feb 3, 2020
Kite turns out to be a concerning investment for Gilead When Gilead acquired Kite for $12 billion (!), it was the talk of the industry for many months. It was a sign that Gilead was investing big in CAR-T cell therapy. Things have soured since, with Gilead cutting forecasts for drugs in the Kite pipeline. […]
Immunology/ Oncology news – Week of Jan 27 2020
Zolgensma sales grows Novartis’ gene therapy for spinal muscular dystrophy, Zolgensma has a $2.1 Million price tag. That has not stopped it from having an impressive growth interns of revenue. With more regulatory approvals in the pipeline, this trend only appears to continue upward. I know I only choose to write about Immunology and Oncology […]
Flu vaccination to cure cancer?
Photo by CDC on Unsplash A recent study in the journal PNAS has demonstrated that influence vaccination in cancer patients makes them more susceptible to immune checkpoint inhibitors like Keytruda. In addition, vaccination was able to change the tumor microenvironment from an immune-suppressive state to an inflammatory state. What the authors have described here is a dual-advantage approach. […]
AstraZeneca, Merck’s pancreatic cancer drug cleared by FDA
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat. While precision has helped make significant strides in improved overall survival in other cancers, pancreatic cancer has been left behind. This week, Astra Zeneca and Merck’s Lynparza, a drug that targets the BRCA mutation, was cleared by the FDA. The BRCA mutation is found in breast and ovarian cancers. A […]
Low grade gliomas : Need for new therapeutic approaches
Gliomas are the most common type of brain tumors. Based on aggressiveness, they are classified as grades I- IV, with Grade IV being the most aggressive. Grade IV gliomas, also called Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive cancers with a median survival of 12-16 months after surgery, chemotherapy and Radiation therapy. Understandably, […]
Major events in Immunology/ Oncology – 2019
As the year winds down and the next decade is on the horizon, I thought it would be nice to take a trip down memory lane and re-visit some of the major news in the Immunology/ Oncology biotech space in 2019. 1) Celgene releases promising CAR-T data Celgene released promising data for its CAR-T cell therapy […]
Contribution of dendritic cells to the autoimmune pathology of systemic lupus erythematosus
Contribution of dendritic cells to the autoimmune pathology of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Organ transplants – to tolerate or to not tolerate?
I just got back from a conference on regenerative medicine. The meeting featured scientists and members of the military and majority of the discussion was about the the efforts of scientists in helping wounded warriors restore their normal lives by improving organ regeneration and transplant techniques. I knew the government was invested in R&D, but […]
Rock a bye baby
It is no secret that babies are born with a feeble immune system. This is what makes them so prone to all the sniffles in the first few months. In particular, babies are susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes infection. Through colostrum and breast milk, the babies are passively infused with antibodies that help them while their […]
Innately Immune 