Immune System News and Research

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Immunotherapy before surgery boosts long term survival in lung cancer, trial shows

Results from a phase 3 clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, today (June 2nd) show that patients with lung cancer who received an immunotherapy drug, nivolumab, along with standard chemotherapy before surgery had improved long term survival compared to those who received chemotherapy alone, at 5 years after completing treatment.

2 Jun 2025

Engineered viruses and gene therapy halt tumor growth and extend survival in mice

This study reveals the potential of engineered phage-IL-12 therapy in melanoma, enhancing immune response and tumor destruction in aggressive cancer models.

2 Jun 2025

New discovery reveals immune molecule’s role in Alzheimer’s disease

A new way of thinking about Alzheimer's disease has yielded a discovery that could be the key to stopping the cognitive decline seen in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

2 Jun 2025

Terbium therapy shows promise in fighting lymphoma

Radionuclide therapy with the radioactive element terbium could effectively combat lymphoma. This is demonstrated by promising results from experiments carried out at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in collaboration with Inselspital - Bern University Hospital.

2 Jun 2025

Genome doubling identified as common event in metastatic cancer evolution

When cancer spreads from a primary tumor to new sites throughout the body, it undergoes changes that increase its genetic complexity.

2 Jun 2025

New combination treatment offers hope for immune checkpoint blockade resistant skin cancers

A study has revealed why some patients don't respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy for solid cancer tumors and identifies a new combination treatment.

2 Jun 2025

RFK Jr. says healthy pregnant women don’t need covid boosters. What the science says.

You're pregnant, healthy, and hearing mixed messages: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is not a scientist or doctor, says you don't need the covid vaccine, but experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Protection still put you in a high-risk group of people who ought to receive boosters.

2 Jun 2025

Digital baby formula campaigns undermine breastfeeding and put child health at risk

A global resolution on digital marketing of breast milk substitutes must be rigorously enforced, writes Afshan Khan, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement.

1 Jun 2025

Adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy after surgery improves survival in colon cancer

Colon cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer in the U.S., and while screening has helped detect and prevent colon cancer from spreading, major advancements in treating colon cancer have lagged.

1 Jun 2025

Dual-target CAR T cell therapy shrinks tumors in aggressive brain cancer

A dual-target CAR T cell therapy approach shows promise for slowing tumor growth in a notoriously aggressive and fast-growing brain cancer.

1 Jun 2025

Scientists uncover how a single gene shaped the course of plague pandemic

Scientists have documented the way a single gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, allowed it to survive hundreds of years by adjusting its virulence and the length of time it took to kill its victims, but these forms of plague ultimately died out.

1 Jun 2025

Combination treatment extends progression-free survival in advanced skin cancer

In patients with an advanced type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), those who received the combination of the immunotherapy drug avelumab and targeted agent cetuximab had almost four times longer median progression-free survival compared to patients who received avelumab alone, according to the results of a phase 2 trial presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting and concurrently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

1 Jun 2025

TRR 417 initiative aims to unlock new treatments for colorectal cancer

In the realm of colorectal cancer treatments beyond surgery and radiation, one key question gained prominence in recent years: Is the tumor's DNA repair system defective, making it "microsatellite unstable"? Around 15 to 20 percent of all tumors have this trait, making them likely candidates for successful immunotherapy.

30 May 2025

New insights into decades-old bladder cancer treatment offers clues for immunotherapy

More than three decades ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) as the first immunotherapy against cancer. And it is still used today to treat early-stage bladder cancer.

29 May 2025

BCG immunotherapy reprograms bone marrow to boost cancer defense

29 May 2025

UVA researchers discover key to HIV latency and reactivation

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have uncovered a key reason why HIV remains so difficult to cure: Their research shows that small changes in the virus affect how quickly or slowly it replicates, and how easily or stubbornly it can reawaken from hiding.

29 May 2025