Cryptococcus fungi infections can be fatal as the immune system struggles to fight off the invaders, but through immunotherapy called CAR T cell therapy, researchers are seeing positive results.
Cryptococcosis, a systemic fungal infection, is caused by the polysaccharide encapsulated yeasts Cryptococcus gatti and Cryptococcus neoformans. The disease can cause pneumonia and meningitis, as well as pathology in other tissues.
The FDA has currently approved CAR-T cell therapies that express CARs recognizing CD19. CD19 is expressed on top of the majority of B cells’ surface, allowing for specific B-cell malignancy therapies.
According to the American Cancer Society, there are approximately 5,690 new cases of and 1,580 deaths from acute lymphocytic anemia (ALL), most of which affect children. More than 18,000 people are diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) yearly, with the majority being people over the age of 60. B cells secrete antibodies that are antigen-specific. T cells work differently by directly attacking pathogenic or infected cells, and they also secrete inflammatory cytokines to induce additional immune cell involvement.
University of Arizona researchers created a new five-module chimeric antigen receptor T cell that has shown potential to fight against Type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of pancreatic β cells by pathogenic, autoreactive T cells. Effective and safe immunotherapy approaches to treat T1D would enhance personalized medical approaches to mitigate the effects of pathogenic T-cell–mediated diseases such as T1D. A promising approach is the application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, given its known mechanism and current use to treat other diseases such as hematological cancers.
Part 2: How COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Trigger Immunity
In Part 1 of our blog series, we described what an mRNA vaccine is, and how it works.
In Part 2, we will explain how receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine triggers the human immune system to start producing antibodies and facilitates long-term protection.
Part 1: What is an mRNA Vaccine?
Vaccination is one of the most successful public health initiatives in history. Vaccine-preventable diseases are at or near an all-time low. So why are some people so hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
It turns out that vaccine hesitancy is as old as vaccination itself. The unknown can be scary, and while modern humans may live in the “Age of Information”, most of us realize that not all information is reliable. Fortunately, help is on the way! In this 2-part blog series, the experts at HemaCare break down precisely what a mRNA vaccine is and how it works to protect those who get it.