[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
NEW ROLE FOR IMMUNE SYSTEM PLAYER MAY HELP IMPROVE CANCER VACCINES
It is important to read what it says regarding the fact that the research is
based on a cancer vaccine, not treatment. Of course, you may never hear of
the program again if father investigations do not lead to effective
treatments.
-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
3050 Traymore Lane
Bowie, MD 20715-2024
E-mail: jenday1@email.msn.com (H)
-----Original Message-----
------------------------------
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
National Cancer Institute
<http://cancer.gov>
NIH NEWS RELEASE
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
Thursday, October 31, 2002
2:00 p.m. ET
Contact:
Jennifer Michalowski
NCI Press Office
(301) 496-6641
NEW ROLE FOR IMMUNE SYSTEM PLAYER MAY HELP IMPROVE CANCER
VACCINES
Researchers have discovered that a molecule best known for
its anti-microbial properties also has the ability to
activate key cells in the immune response. This newly
discovered function, reported in the Nov. 1, 2002, issue of
"Science"*, suggests the molecule, a peptide called beta-
defensin 2, may be useful in the development of more
effective cancer vaccines. Scientists have found that
beta-defensin 2 initiates a chain of events leading to the
growth and multiplication of T cells, components of the
immune system that recognize and kill foreign cells that
have invaded the body.
Defensins are known to be an important component of the
body's immediate response to infection. beta-defensin 2
attacks and destroys a broad range of bacteria as part of
the innate immune system, the body's first line of defense
against such infections. The new finding links beta-
defensin 2 to the second arm of the immune system, adaptive
immunity. The adaptive immune response combats pathogens
that evade the body's initial defense mechanisms. Unlike
innate immunity, the adaptive immune system develops
specifically in response to an infection, changing as
needed to ward off each invader.
"This link between the innate and adaptive immune systems
is important for our understanding of the body's ability to
detect infection," said Arya Biragyn, Ph.D., National
Cancer Institute (NCI) staff scientist and first author of
the study. "beta-defensin 2 is likely to play an important
role in the immune system's ability to recognize protein
fragments from the body's own cells, including tumor
cells."
Working in both mice and laboratory cell cultures, Biragyn
and his colleagues found that beta-defensin 2 directly
activates immune cells known as dendritic cells. Once
activated, dendritic cells interact with other components
of the immune system to stimulate the multiplication of a
subset of T cells that will recognize and destroy infected
cells. Dendritic cells can also trigger attack of tumor
cells by the immune system.
"When we administered beta-defensin 2 to mice, we observed
a robust response among cells involved in anti-tumor
immunity," noted NCI's Larry W. Kwak, M.D., Ph.D., the
senior investigator on the study. Researchers hope to take
advantage of this property by incorporating beta-defensin 2
into cancer vaccines.
Cancer vaccines are an investigational therapy designed to
program the body's own immune system to attack a tumor.
The vaccine does this by training T cells to recognize
cancerous cells. Scientists hope that adding beta-defensin
2 to such vaccines will promote the growth and
multiplication of the tumor-destroying cells, improving
patient response to the therapy.
Similarly, researchers hope that beta-defensin 2 will also
be useful in improving AIDS vaccines in the future.
For more information on cancer, please visit NCI's Web site
at <http://www.cancer.gov>.
--------------------------
* Biragyn A, et al. Toll-like receptor 4-dependent
activation of dendritic cells by beta-defensin 2.
"Science" 2002;298:1025-1029.
###
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/