Cell Guidance Systems Blog

Cancer of the prostate, a small gland that produces seminal fluid in men, is one of the most common cancers and the 5th leading cause of male death worldwide. Men over the age of 50, those of African descent, or those with a family history of prostate cancer are at a higher risk. Additionally, diet, particularly diets high in fat and sugar, can increase the likelihood of prostate cancer by negatively affecting the gut microbiome.

Last week, two groups reported encouraging clinical trial results of iPSC-based autologous cellular therapy for Parkinsons disease (PD). However, the implanted cells' poor survival may have undermined these results.

Immunotherapy, boosting the activity of the immune system, is widely used in cancer treatment. Success has been achieved with a variety of modalities, including adoptive cellular immunotherapy, antibodies, tumour vaccines, and small-molecule inhibitors. Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a key role in treatment outcome for many of these modalities even if the treatment does not target them directly.

Using lasers, hydrogels and sustained release neurotropic growth factors, researchers in Switzerland have developed a sophisticated nerve conduit system to repair non-union nerve damage.

Cells communicate by their secretions, impacting the behaviour of other cells. Cell secretion therapies use living cells to produce and secrete therapeutic substances that can aid in treating diseases. These include extracellular vesicles (EVs), cytokines, chemokines and hormones. Such therapies are at the forefront of regenerative medicine and immunotherapy.

A deadly arms race takes place between cancer cells and our immune system. A recent study published in Nature shows the importance of monocytes in the development of a healthy anti-cancer immune response, how cancer blocks monocyte activity and how this can be restored.

Tumours evade immune surveillance through mechanisms that impair immune responses, allowing the tumour to grow and spread without being eliminated by the immune system. Understanding the interplay between cancer and immune cells is allowing the development of new therapies.

Despite its promise and success in treating otherwise resistant blood cancers, CAR-T therapy comes with a hefty price tag, often exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient. Understanding why CAR-T therapy is so expensive requires a closer look at the complex processes and factors involved in its development and administration.

Immune cell reprogramming is widely used to enhance immune cell function for disease treatment. This approach is successful for some types of immune cell, such as T-cells, but reprogramming of monocytes, macrophages and other phagocytic cells has historically been difficult. At Cell Guidance Systems, we have simplified the engineering of monocytes and other mononuclear phagocytes by using PODS, sub-micron scale sustained-release protein crystals that durably alter the cell's proteome. This simple technique is opening new research avenues and has the potential to enable cost-effective autologous immune cell therapies to treat a range of diseases.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating illness that 5-17% of us will experience during our lifetime. Identifying underlying biological mechanisms in MDD could increase our understanding of this disorder; allowing early-stage diagnosis and the development of new treatments. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), nano-sized, lipid-bound derivatives of cells that contain a plethora of cargo, such as miRNAs, lipids, and other proteins, offer a new avenue in this research.