Baylor University Medical Center is one of the major enrollment centers for two national clinical trials that could impact the field of lung transplantation. Both studies are looking at ways to treat early and established chronic rejection after lung transplant
Antigen presenting cells (APCs) of the immune system, such as dendritic cells, can stimulate naïve CD8+ effector T cells to identify and destroy tumors. Given this tremendous anti-tumor potential, there is great interest in harnessing the power of APCs for cancer immunotherapy. APC-based cancer therapies are considered vaccines in that they provoke the patient’s immune system to kill the tumor. However, efforts to develop APC-based cancer vaccines have produced limited success, partially due to suppression of APC function by the tumor environment. A research team at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) examined a strategy to overcome these challenges by designing cancer vaccines from artificial APCs (aAPCs).
It is easy to envision the immune system as a “police force” that is separate from the organ systems and designed to only respond to threats. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that tissue-resident immune cells are more involved in organ homeostasis than previously thought. Recent work from researchers at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) has shed light on the alternative functions of immune cells in the skin.
The impact of frailty on outcomes for organ transplant recipients is gaining widespread attention in transplant programs around the world. In numerous studies, frailty has been associated with increased length of stay, increased hospitalizations, increased costs, and increased mortality.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause Barrett’s esophagus, a change in the lining of the esophagus that predisposes to a type of cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma. It is thought that the reflux of strong acid and bile salts from the stomach into the esophagus contributes to the development of this cancer. In an attempt to prevent esophageal adenocarcinoma, physicians prescribe proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for patients with Barrett’s esophagus. These PPIs reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach, but they do not stop the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. The gastric contents of patients taking PPIs are weakly acidic and they contain bile salts, and our team at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute’s Center for Esophageal Research were concerned that this material still might be damaging to the esophagus.
