Mistakes happen. It’s a fact of life, and when mistakes occur during cell replication, the body has mechanisms to catch these errors and destroy the defective cells. However, when this system fails, it can lead to tumor growth and to cancer.

February 2017: The Antibody Update

This month's Antibody Update includes news on how your skin bacteria regulate levels of Staphylococus aureus, a new study using single cell sequence analysis to create 3D models of tumor tissue, and development of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells using CRISPR/Cas9 to enhance immunotherapy.

Problems with Immunotherapy

Immune system checkpoint inhibition may not always be the perfect way to target cancer. Why is it that some patients do not respond positively to certain immunotherapy treatments like Ipilimumab? This blog takes into account the immune system's convoluted nature to understand how immune checkpoint antibodies may not be the problem, and how personalized medicine could help.

January 2017: The Antibody Update

The start of the new year has brought some interesting new stories in science and science policy. This Antibody Update looks at The Reproducibility Project's efforts in cancer drug research, changes to encourage vaccine development against less known, but still threatening viruses, and a new study on the mechanism of how macrophages cross the vascular endothelium.

T-cell Activation: The Purpose of CD28, CTLA-4, and CD80/CD86 

Cancer immunotherapy involves targeting receptors and ligands of T-cells and tumor cells to amplify an immune response. By targeting these receptors and ligands, T-cell anti-cancer activity can be regulated. This blog explains how the receptors CD28 and CTLA-4 and their ligands CD80 and CD86 are involved in T-cell activation and inhibition. Take a look!

December 2016: The Antibody Update

ProSci's last Antibody Update of 2016 includes the super effective Ebola vaccine developed by Merck, using the common diabetes drug metformin and the antihypertensive syrosingopine to combat cancer, and a link to a highlight review of the immune checkpoint TIGIT. Check it out!

November 2016: The Antibody Update

This months Antibody Update features the first use of CRISPR-Cas9 modified cells being used as therapeutics, the launch of the first vaccine against malaria, and the 21st Century Cures act, which may vastly increase funding of public health agencies for the next decade. Learn more here.

October 2016: The Antibody Update

The October 2016 Antibody Update includes news on a successful combination immunotherapy for cancer, the story of the Yoshinori Ohsumi's Nobel Prize in Medicine, the release of bacterially infected mosquitoes in Brazil to combat the spread of Zika virus, and a reminder to come looking for ProSci at SfN 2016. Get a look at the October's big news round-up here!

August 2016: The Antibody Update

ProSci's top news picks for August 2016 include a study on T-cell activity inside tumor tissue, the potential effects of Zika virus in adults, and mRNA therapeutics. We will be attending SfN 2016 in November as well, so stay tuned!

June 2016: The Antibdy Update

This Antibody Update's news includes the first CRISPR/Cas9 cancer therapeutic's entry into clinical trials, how mosquito saliva assists viruses in proliferation, and the latest update on antibody validation. Check it out on ProSci's blog.