Search results for "immunotherapy"
showing 10 items of 830 documents
Monoclonal antibodies and antibody fragments: state of the art and future perspectives in the treatment of non-haematological tumors
2011
Introduction: The use of monoclonal antibodies is one of the strategies for targeting the specific key points of the main pathways of cancer growth and survival, but only a few antibodies have offered a clear clinical benefit in the treatment of non-haematological malignancies. Areas covered: This review summarizes the general properties of monoclonal antibodies, including structure, nomenclature and production techniques. The antibodies approved for use in clinical practice for the treatment of non-haematological tumors and those antibodies still being developed in this setting are briefly described. The types of antibody fragments are also reported. Expert opinion: Monoclonal antibodies w…
Novel Approaches for Immunosuppression in Graves’ Hyperthyroidism and Associated Orbitopathy
2020
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Both Graves’ hyperthyroidism (GH) and Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) are associated with significant adverse health consequences. All conventional treatment options have limitations regarding efficacy and safety. Most importantly, they do not specifically address the underlying immunological mechanisms. We aim to review the latest development of treatment approaches in these two closely related disorders. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> Immunotherapies of GH have recently demonstrated clinical efficacy in preliminary studies. They include ATX-GD-59, an antigen-specific immunotherapy which restores immune tolerance to the thyrotropin…
Humoral immunotherapy of multiple myeloma: perspectives and perplexities
2010
IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELDS Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy still remaining incurable despite the various therapies available, mainly because of the high fraction of refractory/relapsing cases. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic approaches is urgently needed to overcome conventional treatment resistance. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: In the era of targeted therapies, treatments combining a high specificity for neoplastic cells and the capability to interfere with environmental signals should be regarded as the weapons of choice. Monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based humoral immunotherapy could satisfy both these requirements when applied to MM. Indeed, many of the mo…
Identification of markers for the selection of patients undergoing renal cell carcinoma-specific immunotherapy
2003
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents the most common malignant tumor in the kidney and is resistant to conventional therapies. The diagnosis of RCC is often delayed leading to progression and metastatic spread of the disease. Thus, validated markers for the early detection of the disease as well as selection of patients undergoing specific therapy is urgently needed. Using treatment with the monoclonal antibody (mAb) G250 as a model, proteome-based strategies were implemented for the identification of markers which may allow the discrimination between responders and nonresponders prior to application of G250-mediated immunotherapy. Flow cytometry revealed G250 surface expression in approxi…
BCR-ABL as a target for novel therapeutic interventions.
2002
The BCR-ABL oncogene is the result of a reciprocal translocation between the long arms of chromosome 9 and 22 t(9; 22). There is good experimental evidence demonstrating that BCR-ABL is the single causative abnormality in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), making it a unique model for the development of molecular targets. In addition to CML, BCR-ABL transcripts can be found in a minority of acute lymphoblastic leukaemias and very rarely in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Elucidating the molecular mechanisms and downstream pathways of BCR-ABL has led to the design of several novel therapeutic approaches. In this review, molecular targeting of BCR-ABL will be discussed based on the inhibition of…
A Synthetic Glycopeptide Vaccine for the Induction of a Monoclonal Antibody that Differentiates between Normal and Tumor Mammary Cells and Enables th…
2015
In studies within the realm of cancer immunotherapy, the synthesis of exactly specified tumor-associated glycopeptide antigens is shown to be a key strategy for obtaining a highly selective biological reagent, that is, a monoclonal antibody that completely differentiates between tumor and normal epithelial cells and specifically marks the tumor cells in pancreas tumors. Mucin MUC1, which is overexpressed in many prevalent cancers, was identified as a promising target for this strategy. Tumor-associated MUC1 differs significantly from that expressed by normal cells, in particular by altered glycosylation. Structurally defined tumor-associated MUC1 cannot be isolated from tumor cells. We synt…
Control Of Organ Transplant-Associated Graft-versus-Host Disease By Activated Host Lymphocyte Infusions
2004
Background Prolonged persistence of donor-derived T cells after organ transplantation has been proposed to improve long-term allograft survival. However, surviving transplant-derived T cells are also able to mediate devastating graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Currently, GvHD after organ transplantation is usually refractory to conventional therapy and the disease outcome fatal. Methods Graft-reactive host T cells were generated ex vivo from a patient suffering from a severe and refractory liver-transplant-associated GvHD. To control GvHD, activated alloreactive host T cells were repetitively retransferred into the patient (activated host lymphocyte infusion [aHLI]). Results Adoptive trans…
Efficacy of allergen immunotherapy in reducing the likelihood of developing new allergen sensitizations: a systematic review
2017
Background Guidelines and position papers indicate that allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only disease-modifying treatment, including prevention of the onset of new allergen sensitizations. However, this preventive effect was shown by only a few observational studies. Our aim was to systematically review the efficacy of AIT in preventing the onset of new allergen sensitizations. Methods Computerized bibliographic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (through June 2015) were supplemented with manual searches of reference lists. Observational studies or randomized controlled trials with a long-term observation period were included. Paired reviewers extracted data about stud…
Efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy with grass allergens for seasonal allergic rhinitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2010
Background The benefit of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with grass allergens for seasonal allergic rhinitis has been extensively studied, but data on efficacy are still equivocal. Objective To assess the effectiveness of SLIT with grass allergens in the reduction of symptoms and medication in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis to grass pollen. Methods Computerized bibliographic searches of MEDLINE (1995-2010) were supplemented by hand searches of reference lists. Studies were included if they were double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SLIT to placebo and if they included patients with history of allergy to grass pollen treated with natural grass pollen extracts.…
Food allergy in gastroenterologic diseases: Review of literature
2007
Food allergy is a common and increasing problem worldwide. The newly-found knowledge might provide novel experimental strategies, especially for laboratory diagnosis. Approximately 20% of the population alters their diet for a perceived adverse reaction to food, but the application of double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge, the “gold standard” for diagnosis of food allergy, shows that questionnaire-based studies overestimate the prevalence of food allergies. The clinical disorders determined by adverse reactions to food can be classified on the basis of immunologic or nonimmunologic mechanisms and the organ system or systems affected. Diagnosis of food allergy is based on clini…