Publications by authors named "Alejandro Torres Chavez"

Bioluminescence imaging is a well-established platform for evaluating engineered cell therapies in preclinical studies. However, despite the discovery of new luciferases and substrates, optimal combinations to simultaneously monitor two cell populations remain limited. This makes the functional assessment of cellular therapies cumbersome and expensive, especially in preclinical models.

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For patients with high-risk or relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and the graft-versus-leukemia effect mediated by donor T cells, offer the best chance of long-term remission. However, the concurrent transfer of alloreactive T cells can lead to graft-versus-host disease that is associated with transplant-related morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, ∼60% of patients will ultimately relapse after allo-HSCT, thus, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic strategies that are safe and effective.

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T-cell immunotherapy has demonstrated remarkable clinical outcomes in certain hematologic malignancies. However, efficacy in solid tumors has been suboptimal, partially due to the hostile tumor microenvironment composed of immune-inhibitory molecules. One such suppressive agent abundantly expressed in solid tumors is Fas ligand (FasL), which can trigger apoptosis of Fas-expressing effector cells such as T cells and natural killer (NK) cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pre-clinical and clinical studies indicate that certain types of CAR T cells, specifically those with naive-like and central memory phenotypes, lead to better long-term persistence and improved anti-tumor responses.
  • Researchers examined the effects of traditional (FBS, ABS) and non-traditional (HPL) serum supplements on CAR T cells to find the optimal conditions for maintaining these desirable cell populations during lab preparation.
  • The findings revealed that while HPL-exposed CAR T cells showed less immediate killing ability, they demonstrated better long-term proliferation and anti-tumor effectiveness, ultimately outperforming those cultured with traditional sera in mouse models.
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