immunotherapy Archives

Novel treatment for cancer: Immunotherapy trials show promise in curing the disease

March 26, 2018 Loknath DasCancer, curing, Disease, for, immunotherapy, In, Novel, Promise, show, The, Treatment, trials

In the winter of 2013, Sue Scott, then 36, had already planned her own funeral. Her cervical cancer was spreading fast. Multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery had all failed. Tumours were invading her liver and colon, and squeezing her ureters. Her last chance was to enroll in an experimental trial in which doctors were trying to partially replace patients’ immune systems with T-cells that would specifically attack cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection. Within a few months, her tumours completely disappeared. This…

New Immunotherapy Technique May Cure Food Allergies

November 2, 2016 SrijitaAllergies, cure, Food., immunotherapy, May, New, technique

Canadian researchers have developed a new immunotherapy technique that has the potential to eliminate the allergic response to peanut and egg white proteins. Anaphylaxis, defined as a severe rapid-onset allergic reaction, can be life-threatening and treatment options are limited. Using the new technique, the researchers were able to nearly eliminate the allergic reaction in mice by converting allergen-sensitive immune cells into cells that mimic the response seen in healthy, non-allergic individuals. The treatment reduced the symptoms of anaphylaxis, and lowered other key protein markers in the allergic response by up…

Oral immunotherapy effective for peanut-allergic kids

August 12, 2016 Srijitaeffective, for, immunotherapy, Kids, oral, peanut-allergic

Oral immunotherapy effective for peanut-allergic kids (Getty Images) Low-dose and high-dose of oral immunotherapy (OIT) is safe and equally effective at suppressing allergic immune responses to peanut in children, suggests a study. Peanut OIT involves eating small, gradually increasing amounts of peanut protein daily. Previous studies showed that peanut OIT in older children can offer some protection against potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis caused by peanut exposure. This study, conducted by Wesley Burks, researcher at the University of North Carolina in the US, assessed whether giving OIT to younger children whose duration…