Study Discovers Link between Celiac Disease Risk and a Noncoding RNA
Researchers have identified a segment of RNA that, when suppressed, may contribute to the intestinal inflammation that occurs in people with celiac disease. The findings point to a possible new risk factor for celiac disease. [Press release from Columbia University Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Science] Press Release|Video|Abstract
Alloantigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells Generated with a Chimeric Antigen Receptor
The authors describe the creation of an HLA-A2–specific chimeric antigen receptor (A2-CAR) and its application in the generation of alloantigen-specific human regulatory T cells (Tregs). In mouse models, human A2-CAR–expressing Tregs were superior to Tregs expressing an irrelevant CAR at preventing xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease caused by HLA-A2+ T cells. [J Clin Invest] Full Article|Press Release
Enrichment of the Lung Microbiome with Oral Taxa Is Associated with Lung Inflammation of a Th17 Phenotype
By evaluating both upper airway and acellular bronchoalveolar lavage samples from 49 subjects from three cohorts without known pulmonary disease, scientists observed that pneumotypeSPT was associated with a distinct metabolic profile, enhanced expression of inflammatory cytokines, a pro-inflammatory phenotype characterized by elevated Th-17 lymphocytes and, conversely, a blunted alveolar macrophage TLR4 response. [Nat Microbiol] Abstract
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SCIENCE NEWS
SELLAS Life Sciences to Present Phase II Clinical Results for WT1 Cancer Vaccine
SELLAS Life Sciences Group announced that results from a Phase II trial of the company’s WT1 cancer vaccine in patients with AML have been selected for an oral presentation. [Press release from SELLAS Life Sciences Group discussing research to be presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Chicago] Press Release
American Cancer Society Awards New Research and Training Grants
The American Cancer Society has approved funding for 103 research and training grants totaling nearly $44 million in the first of two grant cycles for 2016. The grants will fund investigators at 74 institutions across the United States; 95 are new grants while eight are renewals of previous grants. [The American Cancer Society] Press Release
UAB Approved for $2.5 Million Research Funding Award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Jeffrey Curtis, M.D., professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been approved for a $2.5 million research award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study the comparative effectiveness and safety of biologic and newer therapies for a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. [University of Alabama at Birmingham] Press Release