Publications by authors named "Benjamin Kuang"
Cell signaling pathways are enriched for biological processes crucial for cellular communication, response to external stimuli, and metabolism. Here, a cell signaling-focused CRISPR screen identified cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4 isoform 1 (COX4I1) as a novel vulnerability in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Depletion of COX4I1 hindered leukemia cell proliferation and impacted in vivo AML progression.
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- Epigenetic dysregulation is linked to various cancers, particularly leukemias, and the study explores the role of Tudor domains in leukemia progression and treatment.
- Researchers used a CRISPR screen to find SGF29, a vital part of acetyltransferase complexes, which is important for gene expression and the development of leukemia.
- The study introduced a new strategy called CRISPR-SADD for drug discovery, helping to identify a promising inhibitor that targets SGF29's Tudor domain and shows effectiveness against leukemia, suggesting broad applicability for future drug development.
Article Synopsis
- Peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) are commonly used for studying the immune response and identifying specific T-cells, but challenges arise from limited patient samples and the low frequency of antigen-specific T-cells.
- A new platform was developed using HLA-matched immortalized B cells that are modified to enhance the expression of viral or tumor antigens, improving the expansion of antigen-specific T cells from low-frequency samples.
- This innovative method is more efficient, cost-effective, and provides a reliable resource for detecting and expanding antigen-specific T cells, making it a superior alternative to traditional approaches using synthesized peptides.
B-cell activating factor receptor (BAFF-R) is a mature B-cell survival receptor, which is highly expressed in a wide variety of B-cell malignancies but with minimal expression in immature B cells. These properties make BAFF-R an attractive target for therapy of B-cell lymphomas. We generated a novel humanized anti BAFF-R monoclonal antibody (mAb) with high specificity and potent in vitro and in vivo activity against B-cell lymphomas and leukemias.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting CD19 mediate potent antitumor effects in B-cell malignancies including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but antigen loss remains the major cause of treatment failure. To mitigate antigen escape and potentially improve the durability of remission, we developed a dual-targeting approach using an optimized, bispecific CAR construct that targets both CD19 and BAFF-R. CD19/BAFF-R dual CAR T cells exhibited antigen-specific cytokine release, degranulation, and cytotoxicity against both CD19-/- and BAFF-R-/- variant human ALL cells in vitro.
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