CIMT 2024: Report on the 21st Annual Meeting of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy.

The 21 Association for Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) Annual Meeting took place from May 15 to May 17 in Mainz, Germany, and was attended by a total of 855 academic and clinical professionals hailing from 33 different countries. The conference served as a platform for these experts to convene and discuss the latest breakthroughs in cancer immunology and immunotherapy research. Dedicated sessions covering advancements in artificial intelligence tools for cancer immunotherapy research, as well as the landscape of cancer care and cancer immunotherapy trials on the African continent, prompted lively and informative discussions among the attendees.

HO-1 and Heme: G-Quadruplex Interaction Choreograph DNA Damage Responses and Cancer Growth.

Many anti-cancer therapeutics lead to the release of danger associated pattern molecules (DAMPs) as the result of killing large numbers of both normal and transformed cells as well as lysis of red blood cells (RBC) (hemolysis). Labile heme originating from hemolysis acts as a DAMP while its breakdown products exert varying immunomodulatory effects. Labile heme is scavenged by hemopexin (Hx) and processed by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, ), resulting in its removal and the generation of biliverdin/bilirubin, carbon monoxide (CO) and iron.