Computer-engineered DNA to study cell identities

“We can follow with our eyes the color in a petri dish when we give a treatment”

12-Feb-2024 - A new computer program allows scientists to design synthetic DNA segments that indicate, in real time, the state of cells. Reported by the Gargiulo lab in “Nature Communications”, it will be used to screen for anti-cancer or viral infections drugs, or to improve gene and cell-based ...

A protein on cancer cells supports immune response against tumors

Surprising discovery

19-Sep-2023 - Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) identify a new and surprising function of a membrane protein on the surface of cancer cells: It supports and stabilizes an important "co-stimulatory" factor that enhances the activation of T cells, thus improving the immune response against ...

AI with infrared imaging enables precise colon cancer diagnostics

Artificial intelligence and infrared imaging automatically classify tumours and are faster than previous methods

16-Feb-2023 - The immense progress in the field of therapy options over the past years has significantly improved the chances of cure for patients with colon cancer. However, these new approaches, such as immunotherapies, require precise diagnosis so that they can be specifically tailored to the individual. ...

A novel painless and reliable allergy test

In vitro mast cells provide unprecedented reliability

23-Mar-2022 - Although allergies are widespread, their diagnosis is complex and, depending on the type of allergy, the prospects of success with therapy are not always clear. Skin tests so far have been unpleasant, time-consuming and associated with a certain risk of triggering an allergic overreaction. ...

Scientists develop artificial intelligence method to predict anti-cancer immunity

Machine learning algorithms are shedding light on neoantigen T cell-receptor pairs

28-Sep-2021 - Researchers and data scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed an artificial intelligence technique that can identify which cell surface peptides produced by cancer cells called neoantigens are recognized by the immune ...

Researchers engineer cells to destroy malignant tumor cells but leave the rest alone

30-Jun-2021 - Researchers at McMaster University have developed a promising new cancer immunotherapy that uses cancer-killing cells genetically engineered outside the body to find and destroy malignant tumors. The modified "natural killer" cells can differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells that are ...

Cross-species cancer comparison uncovers new drug targets

Drug targets for a form of melanoma from genetic mutations found in humans, dogs and horses

13-Feb-2019 - New drug targets for a rare form of melanoma may result from the discovery of similar genetic mutations found in humans, dogs and horses under a first-ever tri-species DNA sequencing study involving a University of Guelph researcher. Melanoma is a cancer that most commonly occurs in the skin in ...

Test predicts outcome of hay fever therapies

Allergy researchers look into molecular processes in hyposensitization to pollen

19-Oct-2018 - Allergen-specific immunotherapy can make everyday life much more pleasant for allergy sufferers. It is unclear, however, what exactly happens during this treatment. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) investigated the processes taking place in the body over the course of a ...

Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine 2018 Announced

Appreciation of the research on cancer therapies

01-Oct-2018 - The researchersJames P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo were announced today as this year's winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Their achievements in the field of cancer therapy was groundbreaking and worthy of the Nobel Prize Committee's appreciation. With the help of the immune ...

Hidden signs in cancer tissue

07-Aug-2018 - When scientists at ETH Zurich analysed huge amounts of genetic cancer data, they found previously unresearched molecular changes. These could help in developing new personalised cancer treatments. A research team led by Gunnar Rätsch, Professor of Biomedical Informatics at ETH Zurich, has ...