Publications by authors named "B R Blazar"
Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is mainly performed to restore an anti-tumor immune response, called the graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect, against leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma. This GVT reactivity is driven by donor T cells, and it can also cause lethal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We previously demonstrated that the colonization of mice with helminths preserves the GVT response while suppressing GVHD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRegulatory T cells (Tregs) with multifaceted functions suppress anti-tumor immunity by signaling surrounding cells. Here we report Tregs use the surface lymphotoxin (LT)α1β2 to preferentially stimulate LT beta receptor (LTβR) nonclassical NFκB signaling on both tumor cells and lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) to accelerate tumor growth and metastasis. Selectively targeting LTβR nonclassical NFκB pathway inhibits tumor growth and migration in vitro.
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- Notch is important for development and diseases, leading researchers to create inhibitors using small molecules and antibodies.* -
- A novel nanobody was developed to inhibit Notch signaling, showing effectiveness in laboratory assays despite a low affinity for the Notch target.* -
- By linking the nanobody to a toxin-derived membrane domain, researchers improved its potency, successfully inhibiting cancer cell proliferation similar to existing Notch blockers.*
Limited oxygen (hypoxia) in solid tumors poses a challenge to successful immunotherapy with natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells have impaired cytotoxicity when cultured in hypoxia (1% oxygen) but not physiologic (>5%) or atmospheric oxygen (20%). We found that changes to cytotoxicity were regulated at the transcriptional level and accompanied by metabolic dysregulation.
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- Regulatory T cells (T) help maintain immune balance, but their dysfunction can cause diseases like autoimmunity and rejection of transplanted organs, spurring interest in T cell therapies.
- The study introduces a new type of CAR-T cell that specifically targets OX40 ligand (OX40L), controlled by a synthetic promoter to enhance effectiveness and stability in treating these conditions.
- The engineered OX40L-CAR-T cells showed improved activation, suppressing unwanted immune responses more effectively than standard T cells, and demonstrated potential for controlling both graft-versus-host disease and other autoimmune disorders.