A new analysis of data from a phase 3 clinical trial delineates how two immune-suppression treatments shape T cell immunity and lower or raise the risk of complications in recipients of stem cell transplants. The data from 324 patients suggest that clinicians must carefully weigh the application of cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus, as each drug had different long-term effects on the recovering T cell compartment and on the subsequent risk of infections and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). “[These findings] begin to unravel the essential paradox of allogenic [stem cell transplant]: how to balance the hazard of robust donor T cell number, diversity, and function (GVHD) against the fundamentally beneficial role of T cells in immune health,” Susan DeWolf and colleagues write. Recipients of stem cell transplants must take drugs to suppress the immune system and prevent GVHD, which occurs when the transplanted immune cells attack their new host’s body. Clinicians then confront a tricky dilemma: they must keep T cells in check as the patient recovers to prevent GVHD, but they must also support the immune system’s recovery to ward off infections. DeWolf et al. examined the recuperation of the T cell arm of the immune system in recipients of stem cell transplants involved in a phase 3 clinical trial, who took either cyclophosphamide or a combination of tacrolimus and methotrexate after transplant. They sequenced more than 2,300 longitudinal samples and a massive collection of more than 180 million cells. Cyclophosphamide depleted all branches of T cells and delayed the cells’ recovery from a small starting pool, creating a bottleneck in T cell diversity that lasted for two years after transplant. This correlated with better protection against GVHD compared with tacrolimus, but also depleted anti-pathogen T cells and may have rendered the patients more vulnerable to severe infections.

A new imaging agent for lung cancer surgery can visualize residual, easy-to-miss cancer tissues that can be left behind after standard surgical resections, according to new results involving mice, canine patients, and human lung tumor samples. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in the U.S, and patients still face a low five-year survival rate of 27%. The most effective treatment is to remove tumors via surgery during their earlier stages. However, many patients still end up with recurrence, as surgeons may miss undetectable lesions or pockets of residual cancer cells at the margins. To enhance their cancer-excising accuracy, clinicians are turning to the use of fluorescent imaging techniques, which are noninvasive and can visualize cancer tissues that might be missed with visual inspection. In this study, Sofya Osharovich and colleagues present a new agent for near-infrared fluorescent imaging for cancer surgery, named JAS239. This agent selectively binds to lung cancer cells that express ChoKα, a biomarker that is found in 60% of human lung tumors but not in healthy lung tissues. They confirmed that JAS239 could image metastatic lung lesions in mice, and then performed a veterinary trial in 20 canine patients with pre-existing lung cancer tumors. JAS239 identified close tumor margins in the dogs, and in one case spotted a hidden lesion that had evaded surgical removal of the main tumor. With an eye toward translation, Osharovich et al. also confirmed that JAS239 successfully accumulated in excised human lung tumors and highlighted regions of ChoKα expression. “These features position JAS239 as a next-generation [near-infrared fluorescent] imaging agent that integrates metabolic targeting with favorable optical and pharmacokinetic properties for real-time surgical guidance,” the authors write.

Even before they are old enough to vote, some young people are finding ways to make a difference. Civic engagement among youth ages 15 to 25 can range from volunteering in the community and joining a protest march to signing a petition or expressing political views on social media, according to Portland State University researcher Yue Ni.

Researchers from Rutgers University, the Innovation Center of NanoMedicine and the Institute of Science in Japan paired bare mRNA with a needle-free injector and two long-licensed immune boosters.

Ochsner Children’s has been accepted into the Tiny Baby Collaborative, an international research network dedicated to improving outcomes for infants born at or before 23 weeks' gestation and their families.

A recent genomic survey of N.C. black bears from mountain and coastal habitats reveals distinct differences in genetic health and diversity between the populations, with coastal bears exhibiting greater genetic fragility than mountain bears. The results could be used by wildlife management and law enforcement to ensure the health of both bears and the ecosystems they are part of.

A new study in Nature by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine answers a long-standing question about astrocytes, star-shaped cells that are the most abundant support cells in the brain and spinal cord. Scientists have long wondered whether astrocytes come in specialized types that do different jobs. Using a new genetic tool, the team showed that they do: distinct astrocyte subtypes help build connections between nerve cells, shape brain circuits involved in learning and memory and aid recovery after stroke.