Vitamin C can increase the severity of spontaneous knee osteoarthritis
April 08, 2017
The researchers say the antibody seems to act as a ???nonspecific immune booster??? which enlists the immune system to fight cancer. It acts by blocking a key negative regulator of the activity of the immune system. This regulator, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4), stops activated immune cells from attacking the body??™s own tissues. The antibody, in turn, stops the function of CTLA4, a receptor that works as ???the brakes??? of the immune system.
Like a vaccine, CP-675 seems to continue to work long after patients receive the single two- to four-hour injection, Camacho says. ???We believe the monoclonal antibody enlists the immune system to fight any new cancer cells trying to grow,??? he says.
The antibody may work particularly well in melanoma, he adds, because previous research has shown the immune system, if activated, can recognize this cancer.
Because the antibody allowed the immune system to attack cells that ???looked??? similar to the body??™s own, researchers worried that it could produce autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. But the only side effects that were observed, including rashes and diarrhea, occurred at the highest doses and were resolved without long-term problems, Camacho says.
Based on the results, Pfizer has launched a Phase II study, which is enrolling 100 patients at seven institutions nationwide. Camacho will serve as the principal investigator for this trial as well.
mdanderson