Human Biology News -- ScienceDaily

23 September 2023

• Same genes behind heart muscle disorders in humans and Dobermanns
  Researchers have made a significant finding in determining the genetic background of dilated cardiomyopathy in Dobermanns. This research helps us understand the genetic risk factors related to fatal diseases of the heart muscle and the mechanisms underlying the disease, and offers new tools for their prevention.
• Combination of cancer vaccine and T cell therapy benefits patients with advanced ovarian cancer
  A study has shown that combining adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) with an innovative, personalized cancer vaccine under development can benefit patients with late-stage, drug-resistant ovarian cancer.
• Towards a better understanding of early human embryonic development
  Despite being an essential developmental process, the understanding of human embryonic genome activation is limited, owing to the lack of in vitro cell models and ethical concerns. To advance understanding, five independent research groups have recently developed human 8-cell-like cells (8CLCs) from pluripotent stem cells using different approaches. In a new study, researchers now compare the transcriptomic profiles of these 8CLCs and human pre-implantation embryos to facilitate the use of 8CLCs as cell models.
• Disrupting a core metabolic process in T cells may improve their therapeutic efficacy
  In exploring an aspect of how killer T cells generate the raw materials required for their proliferation, a study has uncovered an unexpected link between the immune cells' metabolism, regulation of gene expression, persistence and functional efficacy that could be exploited using existing drugs to improve cancer immunotherapy.
• Strengthening artificial immune cells to fight cancer
  Among available immunotherapies, the use of 'CAR-T' cells is proving extremely effective against certain blood cancers, but only in half of patients. A main reason for this is the premature dysfunction of these immune cells, which have been artificially modified in vitro. A team has now discovered how to prolong the functionality of CAR-T cells. By inhibiting a very specific metabolic mechanism, the team has succeeded in creating CAR-T cells with enhanced immune memory, capable of fighting tumor cells for much longer.
• New insight into crosstalk between cancer cells and their environment
  Most solid tumors become stiff as the cancer progresses. Although researchers recognize that the environment around the cancer cells influences their behavior, it is unclear how it does so. In a new article researchers have collected gene expression data in response to mechanical stiffness in tumors.
• The missing link to make easy protein sequencing possible?
  Giovanni Maglia has developed a method to transport proteins through a nanopore