A Phase I/II Trial of Cetuximab in Combination with Interleukin-12 Administered to Patients with Unresectable Primary or Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: mAbs including cetuximab can induce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and cytokine production mediated via innate immune cells with the ability to recognize mAb-coated tumors. Preclinical modeling has shown that costimulation of natural killer (NK) cells via the Fc receptor and the IL12 receptor promotes NK-cell-mediated ADCC and production of cytokines.

Patients And Methods: This phase I/II trial evaluated the combination of cetuximab with IL12 for the treatment of EGFR-expressing head and neck cancer.

A Phase I Trial to Evaluate Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity of Cetuximab and Lenalidomide in Advanced Colorectal and Head and Neck Cancer.

mAbs can induce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) via the innate immune system's ability to recognize mAb-coated cancer cells and activate immune effector cells. Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory agent with the capacity to stimulate immune cell cytokine production and ADCC activity. This phase I trial evaluated the combination of cetuximab with lenalidomide for the treatment of advanced colorectal and head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCC).

The Raf Kinase Inhibitor Sorafenib Inhibits JAK-STAT Signal Transduction in Human Immune Cells.

Sorafenib is an oral multikinase inhibitor that was originally developed as a Raf kinase inhibitor. We hypothesized that sorafenib would also have inhibitory effects on cytokine signaling pathways in immune cells. PBMCs from normal donors were treated with varying concentrations of sorafenib and stimulated with IFN-α or IL-2.

Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma exhibit elevated levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells upon progression of disease.

Elevated levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) induced by tumor-derived factors are associated with inhibition of immune responses in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. We hypothesized that pro-MDSC cytokines and levels of MDSC in the peripheral blood would be elevated in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients with progressive disease. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 16 pancreatic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and phenotyped for MDSC using a five antigen panel (CD33, HLA-DR, CD11b, CD14, CD15).

A phase I trial of bortezomib and interferon-α-2b in metastatic melanoma.

The possibility that cytokine administration could enhance the antitumor effects of proteasome inhibition was explored. It was found that coadministration of bortezomib and interferon-α (IFN-α) induced synergistic apoptosis in human melanoma cell lines and prolonged survival in a murine model of melanoma. A phase I study was conducted to determine the tolerability and the maximum tolerated dose of bortezomib when administered in combination with IFN-α-2b to patients with metastatic melanoma.

Control of pH during plasmid preparation by alkaline lysis of Escherichia coli.

Alkaline lysis of Escherichia coli is usually the method of choice for plasmid preparation, but ''ghost bands" of denatured supercoiled DNA can result if the pH is too high or the period of lysis is too long. By replacing the usual sodium hydroxide lysis solution with an arginine buffer prepared in the range of pH 11.4 to 12.

A nonalkaline method for isolating sequencing-ready plasmids.

We describe a simple method of isolating plasmid DNA directly from Escherichia coli culture medium by addition of lithium acetate and Sodium dodecyl sulphate, followed by centrifugation and alcohol precipitation. The plasmid is sufficiently pure that it can be used in many enzyme-based reactions, including DNA sequencing and restriction analysis. Chromosomal DNA contamination is significantly reduced by pretreatment of the culture with DNase I, suggesting that much of the contaminant is associated with permeable dead cells.