Authored by: George M. Pikler, M.D., Ph.D., FACP Our gastrointestinal tract represents a large microbial ecosystem, housing several trillion of bacteria and other microbes. Estimated to harbor a hundred times more unique genes than the human genome, the effect of the microbiome extends beyond its local intestinal niche to systemic host tissues and immune cells. […]
Authored by: George M. Pikler, M.D., Ph.D., FACP The aim of this overview is to introduce a paradigm-shifting cell immunotherapy modality in oncology, the chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy whose principle is to genetically engineer patient- or donor-derived T cellsin order to re-direct their immune response machinery to recognize and kill tumor cells […]
Authored by: George M. Pikler, M.D., Ph.D., FACP All of us have two active copies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes located on chromosome 17 and chromosome 13 respectively. Both normally act as tumor suppressors – they help to regulate cell division keeping our genome healthy and intact. DNA damage which is a common occurrence in […]
Authored by: George M. Pikler, M.D., Ph.D., FACP The discovery of cancer immune checkpoints and the success of checkpoint inhibitors, as well as the advances in technology to generate genetically modified immune cells opened a brand-new chapter in the war against cancer. The use of vaccines to prevent cancer from evolving and becoming resistant to […]
HPV-related cancers often take years to develop after an infection by the virus. With well-established associations with cervical cancer, as almost all cases are caused by high-risk HPV, it is also linked to many other malignancies including head and neck, penile, anal, vaginal and vulvar cancers. There are about 14 known high-risk HPV genotypes that, […]
Immunotherapy is drug treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer. The immune system might not attack cancer cells because these cells produce proteins that help them hide from immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process. There are several immunotherapy treatments available for a variety of malignancies. The immune system relies on […]