Immunotherapy

Scientists have developed a new light-activated “photoimmunotherapy” that could help treat brain cancer. The key is a compound that glows under light to guide surgeons to the tumor, while near-infrared light activates a cancer-killing mechanism.

Researchers have found that adding a booster protein can significantly improve the outcome of cancer immunotherapy. Tests in mice showed the protein produced 10,000 times more cancer-targeting immune cells, with all mice surviving the experiment.

A newly developed technology makes use of microbubbles and ultrasound to deliver immunotherapy drugs with great potency, significantly reducing primary and metastatic tumor growth in mouse models of breast cancer.

Type 1 diabetes can be a rare but serious side effect of a cancer treatment that use what are known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. In a new study in mice, researchers in Japan have shown that administering stem cell therapy could help prevent this.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease, resistant to many treatments. Now, scientists have identified how the tumors protect themselves so well – and more importantly, found a way to potentially bust through those defenses.

University of Michigan researchers have been exploring how ultrasound can combine with the body's immune defenses to take out tumors through a one-two punch, with a new study on rodents returning some highly promising results.

Stanford University scientists have taken aim at a key problem holding back an exciting form of cancer immunotherapy, and demonstrated how a novel gel can help overcome it by acting as an injectable holding pen for killer immune cells.

Preliminary data has provided promising signs for a new cancer treatment that combines immunotherapy with an mRNA vaccine. First reports from the Phase 1 human trial indicate the treatment is safe and potentially effective against solid tumors.

Researchers have developed a marshmallow-like implant that can train a patient’s immune system to fight off cancer. In tests in mice, the technique was more effective against cancer and could be enacted much faster than other immunotherapies.

Treatments like chemo and immunotherapy haven't been very effective against pancreatic cancer. In a new mouse study, scientists have found that blocking an inflammatory pathway helps make this deadly cancer vulnerable to these therapies.

Among the many challenges in treating tumors is the difficulty in getting anti-cancer drugs to the right locations, and in the right amounts. A new type of implant developed at Rice University tackles both issues, with impressive results in mice.

Immunotherapy is a promising new form of cancer treatment, but the supercharged immune cells it employs can become exhausted in the fight. Researchers in Japan have found a way to keep them going for longer, by rejuvenating them with stem cells.