Antibodies are proteins. In the body, they are made by B cells of the immune system. To produce antibodies as therapeutics, they are synthesized by cells in culture. The structure of an antibody is defined by the amino acid sequence of the protein (Figure 1). The incredible diversity of antibodies, which is essential to our … Read more
You may have read the commentary “Stem Cells Repair Injured Hearts” and then heard about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) decision to suspend a clinical trial using stem cells to treat heart failure due to oxygen deprivation, as occurs in a heart attack. The work highlighted in the commentary is by different authors and … Read more
As someone who recently had the distinctly unpleasurable experience of shingles, I decided to research the vaccines available for this viral disease. Shingles is caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), which also causes chicken pox (Figure 1). VZV is a type of herpes virus. Presently, in the US, most children are vaccinated against chicken pox. … Read more
Tying all of the revenue associated with and costs of publication to the researcher creates an inherent conflict of interest. The STEM publishing industry has undergone at least 2 paradigm shifts since I entered the industry. In 2000, when I started at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a not-for-profit society publisher, … Read more
A type of immunotherapy uses antibodies that activate the TNF receptor family member CD40 on immune cells. CD40 is present on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of the immune system and is activated by surface-bound proteins called CD40L. Activation of CD40 on APCs stimulates these cells to take up and display antigens to T and B cells, … Read more