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Chemotherapy may reduce HIV-infected T cells

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  Advancements in HIV/AIDS research, drug development and clinical practice since the 1980s have made it possible for people living with HIV to lead long, productive lives and keep the virus in check at undetectable levels and nontransmissible as long as therapy is maintained. However, a cure - completely ridding the body of the virus - has only been documented in a handful of patients who underwent complex and high-risk bone marrow transplants for life-threatening blood cancers such as leukemia or lymphoma. In a paper published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they may have taken an early step toward a more practical HIV cure. The researchers - in a study done largely with federal funding - focused on a patient undergoing cancer treatment and also living with HIV, who after receiving chemotherapy, had a significant reduction in the number of CD4+ T immune cells that contained an HIV provirus - a key player in HIV's ...
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Circadian control of neutrophils limits heart damage after myocardial infarction

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  In a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers identified a circadian neutrophil checkpoint that protects against inflammation. Neutrophils are the first responders to infections and trauma. However, their highly cytotoxic activity can cause irreversible damage to bystander host cells. This is particularly relevant in the context of sterile inflammation and infections, conditions in which the affected tissues recruit neutrophils that can increase the area of damage by secreting cellular components and chemicals and inducing the death of unaffected cells. These antagonistic effects of inflammatory injury and immune protection impede therapeutic development, as both properties are deemed inseparable features of neutrophils. However, recent studies report that neutrophils are not homogeneous across disease states, tissues, and diurnal time, suggesting that neutrophils may be targeted in a spatiotemporal manner. Myocardial Infarction as a Circadian M...
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Menopausal hormone therapy shows no added breast cancer risk for BRCA carriers

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  Using menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) was not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women with inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, according to the results of a matched prospective analysis presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 9-12, 2025. Women who inherit a pathogenic mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are advised to follow the recommended guidance to have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed (a procedure known as bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) at relatively early ages to safeguard against their elevated risk of ovarian and/or fallopian tube cancer, said study presenter Joanne Kotsopoulos, PhD, a scientist at the Women's College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute and a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto in Canada. Removing the ovaries can induce early menopause. Although MHT can treat the symptoms of menopause, many patients might not want to take ...
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External signals control oncolytic bacteria for precise cancer therapy delivery

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  Engineered oncolytic bacteria have emerged as a promising therapeutic platform for precision cancer treatment, offering tumor-specific colonization, immune activation, and controllable therapeutic delivery. This review summarizes recent advances in the design and application of synthetic biological strategies that enhance bacterial precision, safety, and efficacy in tumor therapy. These strategies are categorized into three major regulatory modes: exogenous input–responsive gene circuits, autonomous bacterial signal–responsive gene circuits, and tumor microenvironment-responsive gene circuits. Exogenous input–responsive gene circuits rely on external chemical molecules, light, temperature, or radiation to precisely regulate bacterial gene expression and therapeutic release, enabling spatiotemporally control of bacterial activity. These circuits provide several advantages: (1) precise temporal control over therapeutic delivery, (2) reduced metabolic burden during systemic circulat...
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Review highlights emerging role of tumor MHC-II in shaping cancer immunotherapy outcomes

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  Cancer immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, yet many patients experience limited or short-lived responses due to immune evasion, tumor heterogeneity, and immune-related adverse events. While the role of MHC-I in antigen presentation and immune surveillance is well established, MHC-II expression in tumor cells has remained far less explored. Recent findings indicate that tumor-expressed MHC-II not only reflects the immune environment but actively directs CD4⁺ T-cell activation, shaping the quality and durability of antitumor immunity. Its involvement in therapeutic resistance and treatment outcomes highlights the need to better understand its regulatory mechanisms and functional implications. Given these challenges, deeper investigation of tumor-cell MHC-II expression and immune function is urgently needed. Researchers from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital , Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have published (DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0248) a ...
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Scientists uncover why SETX-deficient cancer cells rely on error-prone DNA repair

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  The DNA inside our cells is constantly being damaged, and one of the worst kinds of damage is a double-strand break-when both sides of the DNA helix are cut at once. Healthy cells can normally fix these breaks using highly precise repair systems, but when those systems fail, cells sometimes resort to a less accurate backup method. Now, scientists at Scripps Research have discovered when and how this backup repair pathway gets activated, and how the process could be turned against cancer cells that rely on it to survive. The study, published in Cell Reports on October 28, 2025, focused on a protein that unwinds twisted strands of genetic material, including RNA-DNA tangles called R-loops. These temporary, harmful "knots" form when newly made RNA sticks to its DNA template instead of detaching, leaving one DNA strand exposed. The study zeroed in on a type of helicase protein-a class of molecular motors that unwind genetic tangles-called senataxin (SETX). SETX mutations are kn...
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New antibody shows ability to overcome treatment resistance in blood cancers and solid tumors

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  In a new preclinical study, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center developed an antibody therapy called 77A that showed an ability to overcome treatment resistance in blood cancers, such as myeloma and lymphoma, as well as solid tumors. The study was led by Jun Wei, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Lymphoma & Myeloma, and principal investigator Robert Z. Orlowski, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Lymphoma & Myeloma. Wei presented the results today at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Abstract 388). All ASH content from MD Anderson can be found at MDAnderson.org/ASH. How does the 77A antibody work to activate the immune system against cancer? The 77A antibody targets HSP70, a heat shock protein that helps tumors evade the immune system. HSP70 often is overproduced in certain blood cancers and solid tumors, contributing to a hostile tumor environment by suppressing immune responses and promoting cancer cell...
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