Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is occurs in people who have received bone marrow or blood stem cell transplants from donors (allogenic transplants). The donated cells replace the stem cells that make the cells of the immune system and red blood cells in patients with leukemias or lymphomas or various types of bone marrow diseases, blood disorders, … Read more
Endogenous cannabinoid signaling controls sex-based differences in behavior
In light of the study showing that bacteria with a particular form of the protein DnaK can interfere with a cell’s response to DNA damage and the ability to repair such damage, I have been thinking about what kinds of cancers may have a bacterial cause or contribution. The one that the researchers studied to … Read more
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
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