Publications by authors named "Oana Draghiciu"
Article Synopsis
- The study explores a new combination therapy for cancer that includes sunitinib, low-dose tumor irradiation, and a therapeutic vaccine targeting HPV oncoproteins.
- The combined treatment significantly increased the number of antitumor immune cells while minimizing suppressor cells, achieving a 10,000-fold better ratio of antitumor cells to suppressor cells compared to controls.
- This approach led to complete tumor control and 100% tumor-free survival in treated mice, suggesting its potential for future clinical use.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the limitations of cancer vaccines in clinical trials, focusing on tumor immune suppression interfering with their effectiveness.
- Sunitinib, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was tested alone and in combination with a viral-based cancer vaccine targeting HPV oncoproteins in mice, revealing that it reduces myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) while boosting CD8 T cell numbers and activation.
- The combination treatment resulted in a significant increase in cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific to the E7 antigen, enhancing the overall antitumor response and shifting the immune balance toward better cancer fighting capabilities.
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) contribute to tumor-mediated immune escape and negatively correlate with overall survival of cancer patients. Nowadays, a variety of methods to target MDSCs are being investigated. Based on the intervention stage of MDSCs, namely development, expansion and activation, function and turnover, these methods can be divided into: (I) prevention or differentiation to mature cells, (II) blockade of MDSC expansion and activation, (III) inhibition of MDSC suppressive activity or (IV) depletion of intratumoral MDSCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTherapeutic cancer vaccines show promise in preclinical studies, yet their clinical efficacy is limited. Increased recruitment of immune cells into tumors and suppression of the immune suppressive tumor environment are critical components toward effective cancer immunotherapies. Here, we report how local low-dose irradiation, alone or with a therapeutic immunization based on Semliki Forest virus (SFV) against human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer, influences these immune mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPreviously we have shown that the activity of the multidrug transporter ABCC1 (multidrug resistance protein 1), and its localization in lipid rafts, depends on cortical actin (Hummel I, Klappe K, Ercan C, Kok JW. Mol. Pharm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnraveling the mechanisms used by the immune system to fight cancer development is one of the most ambitious undertakings in immunology. Detailed knowledge regarding the mechanisms of induction of tolerance and immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment will contribute to the development of highly effective tumor eradication strategies. Research within the last few decades has shed more light on the matter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHibernation is an energy-conserving behavior consisting of periods of inhibited metabolism ('torpor') with lowered body temperature. Torpor bouts are interspersed by arousal periods, in which metabolism increases and body temperature returns to euthermia. In deep torpor, the body temperature typically decreases to 2-10 °C, and major physiological and immunological changes occur.
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