Newly Identified Immune Cell Can Be Linked to Human Cancer Prognosis

Scientists from North Carolina State University have developed a new drug delivery system in which a cocoon-like DNA nanocomposite is integrated with "caged worm" deoxyribonuclease(DNase) to achieve self-degradation for promoting drug release inside cells. The "worms" can be readily activated to degrade their cocoon to release encapsulated drugs in vivo anticancer efficacy and biocompatibility of this delivery system. This study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Self-assembled DNA nanostructures have been developed with precisely controlled size and architecture. Because of DNA's intrinsic biocompatibility and degradability, DNA nanostructures hold tremendous promise for drug delivery.

In this study, researchers have developed a bioinspired cocoon-like anticancer drug delivery system consisting of a deoxyribonuclease (ANase)-degradable DNA nanoclew(NCI) embedded with an acid-responsive DNase? nanocapsule(NCa) was developed for targeted cancer treatment. The NCI was assembled from a long-chain single-stranded DNA synthesized by rolling-circle amplification(RCA). Multiple GC-pair sequences were integrated into the NCI for enhanced loading capacity for the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). Meanwhile, negatively charged DNase?was encapsulated in a positively charged acid-degradable polymeric nanogel to facilitate decoration of DNase?into the NCI by electrostatic interactions.

This study provides insights for the design of new prodrugs and can be further extended to engineer other programmes drug delievry systems.

Researchers at the Krummel's lab., UCSF, recently report that newly discovered population of immune cells in tumors is related to less severe cancer outcomes in humans, and may have therapeutic potential based on the study of 3,600 human tumors, as well as mouse experiments. The finding is published in the journal Cancer Cell.

They depleted the population of these already rare cells in mice and demonstrated that the immune system was then unable to control tumors, even when the mice were given immunotherapeutic treatments.

A rare cell type, present in most tumors, is found to confers immunity and thus assists in immune rejection of the tumor. The cells persists in trying to activate tumor-targeting T lymphocytes within the immune system, thereby strengthening anticancer effects.

Additionally, the researchers found specific molecules on the cells that serve as a signature for their identification, and molecules that might be targeted to boost the cells' power to activate T lymphocytes.

As indicated from this study, patients who have antigen-presenting CD103+ dendritic cells live consistently longer than those with weak signatures. The association of the signature for such immune cells with better outcomes was especially strong in head and neck cancers and in breast cancers

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