Integrating system biology and intratumor gene therapy by trans-complementing the appropriate co-stimulatory molecule as payload in oncolytic herpes virus.

Systems biology has been applied at the multi-scale level within the cancer field, improving cancer prevention, diagnosis and enabling precision medicine approaches. While systems biology can expand the knowledge and skills for oncological treatment, it also represents a challenging expedition due to cancer complexity, heterogeneity and diversity not only between different cancer indications, but also in its evolution process through space and time. Here, by characterizing the transcriptional perturbations of the tumor microenvironment induced by oncolytic, we aimed to rationally design a novel armed oncolytic herpes virus.

Investigation into the restoration of TRPM3 ion channel activity in post-COVID-19 condition: a potential pharmacotherapeutic target.

Introduction: Recently, we reported that post COVID-19 condition patients also have Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 3 (TRPM3) ion channel dysfunction, a potential biomarker reported in natural killer (NK) cells from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) patients. As there is no universal treatment for post COVID-19 condition, knowledge of ME/CFS may provide advances to investigate therapeutic targets. Naltrexone hydrochloride (NTX) has been demonstrated to be beneficial as a pharmacological intervention for ME/CFS patients and experimental investigations have shown NTX restored TRPM3 function in NK cells.

External validation of a multi-biomarker-based score for predicting risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: A multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA)-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score was developed and internally validated in a Medicare cohort to predict 3-year risk for myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or CVD death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It combines the MBDA score, leptin, MMP-3, TNF-R1, age and four clinical variables. We are now externally validating it in a younger RA cohort.

Prime and pull of T cell responses against cancer-exogenous antigens is effective against CPI-resistant tumors.

Neoantigen (neoAg)-based cancer vaccines expand preexisting antitumor immunity and elicit novel cancer-specific T cells. However, at odds with prophylactic vaccines, therapeutic antitumor immunity must be induced when the tumor is present and has already established an immunosuppressive environment capable of rapidly impairing the function of anticancer neoAg T cells, thereby leading to lack of efficacy. To overcome tumor-induced immunosuppression, we first vaccinated mice bearing immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI)-resistant tumors with an adenovirus vector encoding a set of potent cancer-exogenous CD8 and CD4 T cell epitopes (Ad-CAP1), and then "taught" cancer cells to express the same epitopes by using a tumor-retargeted herpesvirus vector (THV-CAP1).

Progesterone therapy for prevention of recurrent spontaneous preterm birth in a minority patient population: a retrospective study.

Background: Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The burden of prematurity underscores the need for effective risk reduction strategies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of progesterone therapy, both intramuscular 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (IM 17-OHPC) and vaginal progesterone, in the prevention of recurrent spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB).