Research news from IGP in 2018

In a study from IGP the researchers show that the protein HRG could be used as a biomarker for some types of the cancer form lymphoma. The biomarker indicates longer survival and could be used to develop treatment strategies for different patients. The study has been published in the journal eJHaem.

Immune cells obtained from cancer patients have long been used as vaccines for cancer treatment, with some success. A recent study from IGP shows that in a similar fashion immune cells obtained from healthy donors can activate the needed immune cells and lead to robust and specific immune responses. The findings indicate a possibility to create a cancer vaccine that can readily be used for many patients.

One way of studying the function of a gene is to examine the effect on cells when the gene is blocked. In such cases it is important that the blocking is achieved in all cells. Otherwise the manipulated cells can affect nearby cells, where the gene is unaltered, to function abnormally. This is shown in a recent study from IGP, published in the journal Nature Communications. These are results that should be considered in the development of gene therapy for diseases.

By using self-sampling followed by HPV test more than twice as many women that risk developing cervical cancer could be identified and offered preventive treatment. This is shown in a study by Ulf Gyllensten’s research group, published in British Journal of Cancer.

Diseases in brain blood vessels are among the most common causes of death in developed countries but our knowledge about these vessels is still limited. In an article published today in the journal Nature, researchers from IGP present a detailed molecular characterisation of the cells that make up the blood vessels of the brain and the crucial barrier that they form – the blood-brain barrier. The characterisation indicates which blood vessel cell types are involved in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and brain tumours.

To diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, antibodies to the amino acid citrulline are commonly measured. A new study from Johan Rönnelidäs group at IGP shows that a broad mix of different antibodies in the joints is the dominant factor that can be associated with severe inflammation and joint damage. These findings, published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, may eventually lead to improved diagnostics.

There are structural alterations in the DNA that can be associated with Tourette disorder. This is shown in a recent study by researchers from e.g. IGP, in which DNA from 802 families was analysed. The alterations comprise larger areas in the DNA and are more common in individuals with Tourette disorder than in healthy people, independently of whether the disorder has been inherited or not.

Prevailing dogma in biological research holds that the cell’s protein factories, the ribosomes, function the same way in all cells and in all conditions. In an international study with participation from IGP and Weill Cornell Medicine, published today in the journal Cell Reports, the researchers show that this is a truth that seems to not hold true.

One strategy for cancer therapy is to inhibit the development of blood vessels in the tumour. Researchers at IGP show in a new study how the protein CD93 interacts with the protein network that is required for tumour vessels to form properly. Blocking this interaction could be used as a means to hamper blood vessel development and slow down the cancer.

Patients with chronic kidney disease present a progressive decline in kidney function. Independent of its underlying cause, fibrosis in the kidney, i.e an excess of connective tissue, is predictive of the kidney function decline. A recent study from IGP shows a correlation between the protein Angiopoietin-1 and fibrosis development in mouse kidneys. This suggests that manipulations to maintain Angiopoietin-1 levels could slow down fibrosis progression.

In a study from IGP the researchers show for the first time how the formation of the body’s lymphatic vasculature is affected by the stiffness of the substance that surrounds the first cells forming the new vessels. The results that are published today in the journal Nature Communications can explain the mechanism behind a genetic lymphatic vessel disease and suggest new ways to control such conditions.

The most recent issue of Journal of Nuclear Medicine features a study from IGP as article of the month. The study, led by Vladimir Tolmachev, shows a new promising method to treat cancer by delivering radioactive substances to tumours.

Researchers at IGP have together with American colleagues identified a weakness in the most serious types of malignant brain tumours in children. By using a combination of two different drugs they could inhibit both the cell cycle and the enhancer system in the cell, which was necessary to efficiently kill the brain tumour cells. The results have been published in the scientific journal Oncogene. 

A new study from IGP shows that many patients with colon cancer do not need any chemotherapy and that among patients who benefit from chemotherapy it does not have to be as intense for everyone.

Our lungs consist of a large number of air filled cavities in which oxygen is being transferred from air to the blood. Researchers from IGP show that a particular type of support cells are dependent on the protein PDGF-A during the process when the cavities are formed. The study has been published in the journal Development. An increased understanding of how the lungs are formed can help the development of new treatments for lung problems and diseases in premature babies and in adults.