Immunotherapy
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Review
Immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease: from anti-β-amyloid to tau-based immunization strategies.
The exact mechanisms leading to Alzheimer's disease (AD) are largely unknown, limiting the identification of effective disease-modifying therapies. The two principal neuropathological hallmarks of AD are extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ), peptide deposition (senile plaques) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles containing hyperphosphorylated tau protein. During the last decade, most of the efforts of the pharmaceutical industry were directed against the production and accumulation of Aβ. ⋯ Although some studies suggested that active immunization may be effective against tau in animal models of AD, very few studies regarding passive immunization against tau protein are currently available. The results of the large, ongoing Phase III trials with bapineuzumab and solanezumab will tell us if monoclonal anti-Aβ antibodies may slow down the rate of deterioration of AD. Based on the new diagnostic criteria of AD and on recent major failures of anti-Aβ drugs in mild-to-moderate AD patients, one could argue that clinical trials on potential disease-modifying drugs, including immunological approaches, should be performed in the early stages of AD.
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For centuries the treatment of TB has presented an enormous challenge to global health. In the 20th century, the treatment of TB patients with long-term multidrug therapy gave hope that TB could be controlled and cured; however, contrary to these expectations and coinciding with the emergence of AIDS, the world has witnessed a rampant increase in hard-to-treat cases of TB, along with the emergence of highly virulent and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Unfortunately, these bacteria are now circulating around the world, and there are few effective drugs to treat them. ⋯ TB immunotherapy targets the already existing host anti-TB immune response and aims to enhance killing of the bacilli. For this purpose, several approaches have been used: the use of anti-Mycobacteria antibodies; enhancing the Th1 protective responses by using mycobacterial antigens or increasing Th1 cytokines; interfering with the inflammatory process and targeting of immunosuppressive pathways and targeting the cell activation/proliferation pathways. This article reviews our current understanding of TB immunity and targets for immunotherapy that could be used in combination with current TB chemotherapy.
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Biotherapy is widely considered as the fourth treatment modality for patients with cancer, and uses the constantly increasing knowledge in molecular biology, cell biology and immunology. Biotherapy uses naturally occurring biological molecules (e.g., cytokines and antibodies) or works by the manipulation of normal biological mechanisms (controlling or inhibiting tumor growth). Important achievements in anticancer drug development are immunotherapeutic strategies recently approved by the US FDA as well as clinical data of the cancer patients treated in clinical trials. ⋯ To meet that goal, it is essential to spread the information, to summarize the new clinical data and to draw the conclusions from the clinical and preclinical investigations. These frontline tasks can be well advanced by organizing international conferences in this domain in less scientifically developed countries, with a significant tumor burden statistics. Therefore, special efforts were done to organize the 2nd International Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunomonitoring Conference (CITIM-2011) in Hungary.