Molecular mechanisms of cancer and cancer therapy
Although genomic (DNA) and transcriptomic (messenger RNA) data are easier to collect and analyze, these are only two of the relevant types of “omic” data that are important for understanding disease and the response to treatments. Proteomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic data are also contain information that can be used diagnostically, prognostically, in developing treatment … Read more
A Proteomic Approach to the Tumor Microenvironment An outstanding issue in treating solid cancers is understanding the complexity of this pathological tissue. Solid tumors are comprised not only of the cancer cells, but they also contain immune cells, cells that form blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, fibroblasts, and the stem cells that form the fibroblasts … Read more
Target tissue type, as well as a patient’s gender, nutritional, and reproductive status, must be considered to manipulate signaling through the RANKL/RANK pathway for therapeutic benefit. In some contexts, activating this pathway can be beneficial and in others inhibiting this pathway is beneficial. RANKL is the ligand, RANK [receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB)] … Read more
T cells of the adaptive immune system are not the only cytotoxic cells in the immune system. Natural killer cells (NK cells) are a cytotoxic white blood cell (lymphocyte) of the innate immune system. Clinical trials with NK cells use these as cell-based biologic therapies: The NK cells are the therapy. New research suggests that … Read more
Efforts are underway to identify the molecular reasons why some patients exhibit an enduring response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. These patients have been called “exceptional” responders or “super” responders. Some patients that have cancers with a lot of DNA mutations (high mutational burden) are better responders to immune checkpoint therapy compared with patients that … Read more