Breast Cancer Spreads By Using Patient's Immune System
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) spreads easily through the lymphatic and blood vessels, forming metastasis, which can cause several organs in the body to fail, IBC is also the deadliest form of breast cancer. A new study shows how IBC cells use IL-8, a chemokine of the immune system secreted as part of the anti-inflammatory response by monocytes (a specific set of white blood cells), in order to increase fibronectin expression. The study is published in BioMed Central's open access journal Cell Communication and Signaling.
Human Testing Of New HIV-Vaccine
Scientists from the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital and Antwerp University have tested a new 'therapeutic vaccine' against HIV on volunteers. The participants were 'so to say' vaccinated with their own cells. The researchers filtered certain white blood cells out of the volunteer's blood, 'loaded' them outside the body and then gave them back. The immune system of the testees was better than before in attacking and suppressing the virus, the scientists reported in the top journal AIDS.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Hitches A Free Ride From The Immune System
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most lethal form of breast cancer. It spreads easily through the lymphatic and blood vessels, forming metastasis which can lead to multi-organ failure. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Cell Communication and Signaling demonstrates how IBC cells use IL-8, secreted as part of the anti-inflammatory response by a specific set of white blood cells (monocytes), to increase fibronectin expression. Fibronectin is a cell-adhesion molecule which is usually involved in wound healing and cell migration during embryogenesis.