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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Dynamic Assessment Of Nk Cell Interactions With Pediatric Tumor Cells To Predict Response To Immunotherapy, Arianexys Aquino Lopez
Dynamic Assessment Of Nk Cell Interactions With Pediatric Tumor Cells To Predict Response To Immunotherapy, Arianexys Aquino Lopez
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Due to Natural Killer (NK) cells’ capacity to target tumor cells without prior sensitization, adoptive NK cell therapy represents a promising immunotherapy approach for pediatric cancer patients. Our laboratory has developed an NK cell expansion protocol that generates large quantities of NK cells for therapeutic infusion. Given that NK cells are heterogeneous, with variable receptor expression and potential to target tumor cells, the purpose of my study was to determine whether subpopulations of NK cells with enhanced anti-tumor potential could be identified for increased potency of the NK cell infusion product. In addition, we previously showed that our expanded NK …
Integrative Cancer Immunogenomic Analysis Of Serial Melanoma Biopsies Reveals Correlates Of Response And Resistance To Sequential Ctla-4 And Pd-1 Blockade Treatment, Whijae Roh
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Melanoma is the most malignant form of skin cancer. The five-year survival rate for metastatic melanoma is 19.9%. Although targeted therapy of BRAF and MEK inhibitors were developed for melanoma, resistance to therapy is inevitable. Immune checkpoint blockade, which reverses the suppression of the immune system, on the other hand, has shown a durable response in 20-30% of patients with metastatic melanoma. However, more predictive and robust biomarkers of response to this therapy are still needed, and resistance mechanisms remain incompletely understood. To address this, we examined a cohort of metastatic melanoma patients treated with sequential checkpoint blockade against cytotoxic …
Memory Potential, Molecular Characterization, And Translational Applications Of The Novel Theo/Tceo T Cell Phenotype, Todd Bartkowiak, Todd Bartkowiak
Memory Potential, Molecular Characterization, And Translational Applications Of The Novel Theo/Tceo T Cell Phenotype, Todd Bartkowiak, Todd Bartkowiak
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
T cells comprise a substantial arm of the immune system and are exquisitely adapted to combat pathogens and tumors. The inflammatory environment largely dictates the nature of T cell response. A hallmark of T cell-mediated immunity is formation of immunological memory; the ability to respond more potently to re-encounter with pathogens. The immune system is also capable of recognizing tumors as foreign, much like viral or bacterial pathogens. Tumors have evolved, though, to generate an immunosuppressive environment to avoid destruction. The field of immunotherapy seeks to overcome immune suppression, in part by targeting T cell co-receptors on the cell surface …
Microfluidic Biopsy Trapping Device For The Real-Time Monitoring Of The Tumor Microenvironment, Angela Holton
Microfluidic Biopsy Trapping Device For The Real-Time Monitoring Of The Tumor Microenvironment, Angela Holton
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The tumor microenvironment is composed of cellular and stromal components such as tumor cells, mesenchymal cells, immune cells, cancer associated fibroblasts and the supporting extracellular matrix. The tumor microenvironment provides crucial support for growth and progression of tumor cells and affects tumor response to therapeutic interventions. To better understand tumor biology and to develop effective cancer therapeutic agents it is important to develop preclinical platforms that can faithfully recapitulate the tumor microenvironment and the complex interaction between the tumor and its surrounding stromal elements. Drug studies performed in vitro with conventional two-dimensional cancer cell line models do not optimally represent …
Clinical And Therapeutic Significance Of Obesity In Melanoma, Jennifer L. Mcquade
Clinical And Therapeutic Significance Of Obesity In Melanoma, Jennifer L. Mcquade
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
While the FDA approval of targeted and immune therapies in metastatic melanoma (MM) have dramatically improved outcomes in this disease, de novo and/or acquired resistance can limit the clinical benefit of these agents. The IGF-1/PI3K/AKT pathway has been implicated in resistance to both targeted and immune therapy. The IGF-1/PI3K/AKT pathway has also been shown to play a key role in the pathogenesis of obesity in other malignancies. To date, the impact of energy balance on clinical outcomes and therapeutic response in MM has not been studied. I hypothesized that energy balance would impact the molecular biology, behavior, and drug sensitivity …
B7h6: A Cancer Biomarker For The Development Of Novel Immunotherapy Approaches, Mariana Phillips
B7h6: A Cancer Biomarker For The Development Of Novel Immunotherapy Approaches, Mariana Phillips
Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)
Cancer-based immunotherapy has led the evolution of biologics that can stimulate immune responses towards tumor eradication. The synthesis of small to intermediate size molecules with the targeting and effector functions of mAb may represent a novel class of immunotherapeutics that may overcome the limitations of their biological counterparts.Towards this objective, B7H6 has been identified as a protein ligand localized on the cell surface of transformed tumor cells. B7H6 binds specifically to the activating receptor NKp30, constitutively expressed on all resting and active NK cells. Upon ligand:receptor binding, B7H6 triggers NK cell activation and release of chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines such …
Defining The Ontogeny And Functions Of Macrophages In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Yu Zhu
Defining The Ontogeny And Functions Of Macrophages In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Yu Zhu
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The immune system plays an essential role in protecting the host organisms against both foreign invaders and self-attacks arisen within the host, such as tumors. Instead of promoting the long-term fitness of the organism, the immune system is often suppressed or hijacked by tumor cells to accelerate the progression of malignancies. Among the key drivers of immune suppression, macrophages are one of the most abundant immune cells present in tumor tissues. High levels of macrophage infiltration in the malignant tissues correlate with negative patient outcome in many types of cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the most lethal …
Developing Novel Approaches To Improve Response To T Cell Based Cancer Immunotherapy, Rina M. Mbofung
Developing Novel Approaches To Improve Response To T Cell Based Cancer Immunotherapy, Rina M. Mbofung
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Recently, T cell based immunotherapies have moved to the forefront of cancer immunotherapy with the success of Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) and Immune checkpoint blockade.ACT, where patients are treated with tumour infiltrating T cells (TILs), conferred a clinical response rate of ~50%. Treatment with anti-CTLA4 and anti –PD1 therapy, conferred response rates of up to 50%, greatly improving the overall survival of patients with advanced melanoma amongst other cancer types. Despite the encouraging outcomes, there are relatively low response rates coupled with the delay of weeks to months before tumour shrinkage can be appreciated. Thus, understanding what tumour intrinsic …