Successful combined intratumoral immunotherapy of established murine mesotheliomas requires B-cell involvement.

Combination immunotherapy has resulted in a number of impressive outcomes in mouse models and clinical settings. In this study, we report that a timed triple immunotherapy (TTI) protocol using 3 agonist antibodies (anti-CD25mAb, anti-TGF-βmAb, and anti-CTLA-4mAb) produced complete clearance of established AB1 murine mesothelioma tumors. Combining all 3 agonist antibodies into a single cocktail for intratumoral injection was as effective as the TTI in tumor eradication.

Low-dose oral interferon alpha as prophylaxis against viral respiratory illness: a double-blind, parallel controlled trial during an influenza pandemic year.

Background And Objective: Interferon alpha (IFNα) is a known antiviral agent. A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted investigating the use of low-dose oral interferon alpha for preventing acute viral respiratory illnesses.

Methods: Two hundred healthy adults aged 18-75 years were enrolled and completed weekly health data questionnaires to monitor for symptoms and impact of respiratory illness.

Topically applied Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil causes direct anti-cancer cytotoxicity in subcutaneous tumour bearing mice.

Background: Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil (TTO) applied topically in a dilute (10%) dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) formulation exerts a rapid anti-cancer effect after a short treatment protocol. Tumour clearance is associated with skin irritation mediated by neutrophils which quickly and completely resolves upon treatment cessation.

Objective: To examine the mechanism of action underlying the anti-cancer activity of TTO.

Tumour eradication and induction of memory against murine mesothelioma by combined immunotherapy.

Numerous immunotherapy treatments for cancer are undergoing clinical trials or are already approved for use. One particular area of interest is targeting mechanisms of immune tolerance. Using a murine model of mesothelioma, we investigated the roles of regulatory T-cells, intratumoural transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and the negative regulator molecule cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) in immune tolerance to tumours.

The Role of Regulatory T Cells in Mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) appears to be responsive to immunotherapy. The lack of complete tumour cure as a result of many immunotherapies tested to date suggests that the immune response to MM is complex and multi-parametric. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are prevalent within murine and human mesotheliomas with their removal shown to result in tumour growth inhibition and the release of anti-tumour effector T cells from immunosuppression.

Fetal responses to lipopolysaccharide-induced chorioamnionitis alter immune and airway responses in 7-week-old sheep.

Objective: We hypothesized that fetal innate immune responses to lipopolysaccharide-induced chorioamnionitis would alter postnatal systemic immune and airway responsiveness.

Study Design: Ewes received intraamniotic injections with saline or lipopolysaccharide at 90, 100, and 110 days of gestation. Immune status and airway responsiveness were evaluated at term and at 7 weeks of age.

The survival of myoblasts after intramuscular transplantation is improved when fewer cells are injected.

Background: Myoblast transplantation has long been studied as a potential therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy as the incorporation of donor myoblasts into host muscle allows the production of functional dystrophin protein. However, the clinical feasibility of this approach is limited by the poor survival of the donor cells in the weeks after transplantation. It has recently been determined that the intramuscular transplantation of large numbers of cells can lead to the formation of ischemic necrosis in the center of these cell masses.

Mechanisms of immune suppression exerted by regulatory T-cells in subcutaneous AE17 murine mesothelioma.

We have reported previously that a combined intratumoral treatment with anti-CD25mAb/transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) soluble receptor induced regression of established and subcutaneous AE17 murine mesotheliomas. Here, we have investigated the mechanisms underlying this observation by analyzing the concentrations of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and TGF-β within tumors at various time points following single regulatory T-cell (T(reg)) depleting anti-CD25mAb, TGF-β soluble receptor, or combined anti-CD25mAb/TGF-β soluble receptor treatment. The combined treatment maintains the intratumoral TGF-β concentration at a significantly lower level than either the untreated controls or the single anti-CD25mAb treatment alone.

Inhibition of established subcutaneous murine tumour growth with topical Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil.

Purpose: Systemic toxicity coupled with long treatment regimes of approved topical chemotherapeutic agents such as imiquimod and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) are limiting. There is now more focus on the potential use of topical terpene agents as skin cancer treatments. Here, we show for the first time that topical Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil (TTO), abundant in terpenes, has in vivo antitumour activity.

Oromucosal Administration of Interferon to Humans.

The prevailing dogma is that, to be systemically effective, interferon-alpha (IFNα) must be administered in sufficiently high doses to yield functional blood concentrations. Such an approach to IFNa therapy has proven effective in some instances, but high-dose parenteral IFNα therapy has the disadvantage of causing significant adverse events. Mounting evidence suggests that IFNα delivered into the oral cavity in low doses interacts with the oral mucosa in a unique manner to induce systemic host defense mechanisms without IFNα actually entering the circulation, thus reducing the potential for toxic side effects.

Combined intratumoral regulatory T-cell depletion and transforming growth factor-β neutralization induces regression of established AE17 murine mesothelioma tumors.

Suppression of an anti-tumor immune response by regulatory T cells (T(regs)) in tumor-bearing hosts is now well established. Previously, we have reported that the intratumoral administration of T(reg)-depleting anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody every 10 days is highly effective at inhibiting the further development of established murine mesotheliomas. Here we investigate the dosage, kinetics, and immunology of this treatment.

Alpha-Tocopheryl succinate: toxicity and lack of anti-tumour activity in immuno-competent mice.

Alpha-tocopheryl succinate (alpha-TOS), an analogue of vitamin E (VitE), inhibits peritoneal human malignant mesoethelioma xenograft development in immuno-compromised mice via the induction of apoptosis of tumour cells [Tomasetti, M., Gellert, N., Procopio, A.

Protection from lethal influenza virus challenge by oral type 1 interferon.

The persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza within wild bird populations has forged interest in control measures to limit a possible human pandemic. We therefore investigated the efficacy of low dose oral administration of IFN-alpha as a potential therapy against influenza infection in a murine model. We have identified an optimal low oral dose of IFN-alpha that when delivered daily as prophylactic therapy protects C57BL/6J mice from a lethal challenge with mouse adapted human influenza virus A/PR/8/34 (H1N1).

Cell surface markers of regulatory T cells are not associated with increased forkhead box p3 expression in blood CD4+ T cells from HIV-infected patients responding to antiretroviral therapy.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells may attenuate host immune responses to pathogens, including HIV and opportunistic pathogens in HIV-infected patients. Treated and untreated progressive HIV disease represent a range of immunological scenarios with potentially different roles for Treg cells. A cell surface marker to determine Treg cell numbers would assist in identifying situations where Treg cells are important.

Intra-tumoural regulatory T cells: a potential new target in cancer immunotherapy.

We hypothesised that T(reg) cells preferentially expand/infiltrate inside murine mesotheliomas. Immunotherapy based on the manipulation of T(reg) cell populations should therefore be targeted to the tumour site. The AE17 murine mesothelioma model was used for this study.

A comparison between real-time quantitative PCR and DNA hybridization for quantitation of male DNA following myoblast transplantation.

The transplantation of muscle precursor cells (myoblasts) is a potential therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A commonly used method to detect cell survival is quantitation of the Y chromosome following transplantation of male donor cells into female hosts. This article presents a direct comparison between real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) and the DNA hybridization (slot-blot) technique for quantitation of Y chromosome DNA.

Quantitation of defective and ecotropic viruses during LP-BM5 infection by real time PCR and RT-PCR.

Murine AIDS (MAIDS) is a pathology induced by the LP-BM5 murine leukaemia virus mixture in susceptible strains of mice such as C57BL/6J resulting in lymphoproliferation and progressive immunodeficiency. The etiologic agent of this pathology is BM5d, a replication defective virus. BM5e is a replication competent virus in the viral mixture that functions as a helper virus.

Superior survival and proliferation after transplantation of myoblasts obtained from adult mice compared with neonatal mice.

Background: Myoblast transfer therapy (MTT) is a strategy designed to compensate for the defective gene in myopathies such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Experimental MTT in the mdx mouse (an animal model of DMD) has used donor myoblasts derived from mice of various ages; however, to date, there has been no direct quantitative comparison between the efficacy of MTT using myoblasts isolated from adult and neonate donor muscle.

Methods: Donor normal male myoblasts were injected into Tibialis Anterior muscles of dystrophic female host mice and the survival and proliferation of male myoblasts quantitated using Y-chromosome specific real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Innate inflammatory cells are not responsible for early death of donor myoblasts after myoblast transfer therapy.

Background: Myoblast transfer therapy (MTT) is a cell-based gene therapy representing a potential treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The rapid disappearance of donor myoblasts from transplanted muscles after MTT is one of the most controversial and significant obstacles facing research in this area. Dystrophin-deficient muscles show constitutively high levels of inflammation, thus necessitating an examination of whether inflammatory cells, specifically natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, and macrophages, within dystrophic muscle are responsible for poor graft survival.

Timed ablation of regulatory CD4+ T cells can prevent murine AIDS progression.

We describe successful immunotherapy of murine AIDS (MAIDS) in C57BL/6J mice based on the elimination of replicating CD4(+) regulator T cells. We demonstrate that a single injection of the antimitotic drug vinblastine (Vb) given 14 days postinfection (p.i.