The researchers analyzed 293 blood and tumor samples from 72 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, obtained at different times throughout their treatment journey. They used multiomic analyses to deeply characterize the immune system’s response to radiation therapy followed by immunotherapy. The team focused on immunologically “cold” tumors, which typically don’t respond to immunotherapy.

The study revealed that radiation can stimulate a systemic anti-tumor immune response in lung cancers, making them more responsive to treatment. The researchers found that patients who received radiation and immunotherapy had better outcomes than those who didn’t receive radiation therapy. They also confirmed that the T cells expanding in patients who received radiation and immunotherapy were indeed recognizing specific mutation-associated neoantigens from their tumors.

This breakthrough has significant implications for cancer treatment, particularly for patients with non-small cell lung cancer who don’t respond to immunotherapy. The researchers hope that this study will lead to the development of new treatments that combine radiation therapy with immunotherapy to improve patient outcomes.

The study was supported by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the National Institutes of Health. Additional co-authors on the study include various researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Radboud University Medical Center, and other institutions.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, notes that this research highlights the importance of international, interdisciplinary collaboration in translating cancer biology insights to clinical relevance. She also emphasizes the value of this study in capturing the abscopal effect, linking the immune response with clinical outcomes, and confirming the body’s response to immunotherapy by detecting circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood.

This research has significant potential for advancing cancer treatment and improving patient outcomes. As researchers continue to explore the benefits of combining radiation therapy with immunotherapy, they may uncover even more effective treatments for various types of cancer.

A groundbreaking study co-led by Australian researchers has shed new light on the life-threatening virus HTLV-1, which affects around 10 million people globally. Despite its prevalence, HTLV-1 remains a poorly understood disease with no preventative treatments or cure. However, the research team, comprising experts from WEHI and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), has made significant strides in understanding the virus’s behavior and identifying potential therapeutic targets.

The study, published in Cell, found that existing HIV drugs can suppress the transmission of HTLV-1 in mice. This promising result could lead to the development of the first treatments to prevent the spread of this virus, which is endemic among many First Nations communities around the world, including Central Australia.

According to co-lead author and WEHI laboratory head Dr Marcel Doerflinger, “Our study marks the first time any research group has been able to suppress this virus in a living organism.” This achievement paves the way for further investigation into using HIV drugs as a pre-exposure prophylaxis against HTLV-1 acquisition.

The researchers also isolated the virus and developed a world-first humanized mouse model for HTLV-1, which enabled them to study how the virus behaves in a living organism with a human-like immune system. This breakthrough allowed the team to understand how different strains of the virus can alter disease symptoms and outcomes.

The study’s lead author, Professor Marc Pellegrini, emphasized that “the development of the humanized mouse models was not only critical in identifying potential therapeutic targets but also allowed researchers to understand how different strains of the HTLV-1 virus can alter disease symptoms and outcomes.”

In another remarkable finding, the team discovered that human cells containing HTLV-1 could be selectively killed when mice were treated with HIV drugs in combination with another therapy inhibiting a protein (MCL-1) known to help rogue cells stay alive. This discovery has significant implications for developing new treatments for HTLV-1.

The research team is currently in talks with the companies behind the HIV antivirals used in this study, to see if HTLV-1 patients can be included in their ongoing clinical trials. If successful, this would pave the way for these drugs to become the first approved pre-exposure prophylaxis against HTLV-1 acquisition.

The findings of this study are supported by The Australian Center for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research, The Phyllis Connor Memorial Trust, Drakensberg Trust, and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). These organizations recognize the importance of continued research into understanding and combating HTLV-1.

The research published in Plants, People, Planet has discovered an innovative way to enhance the nutritional value of bread wheat using a specific type of fungus. Scientists found that by cultivating wheat with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, the grains grew larger and contained higher amounts of phosphorus and zinc compared to those grown without the fungus.

When researchers tested different types of wheat with and without the fungus, they noticed a significant improvement in nutrient content. The phosphorus-rich grain did not result in an increase in phytate, which can hinder digestion of zinc and iron. As a result, bread wheat grown with fungi had higher bioavailability of zinc and iron overall compared to that grown without fungi.

This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize sustainable agriculture practices by using beneficial soil fungi as a natural means to enhance plant nutrient uptake. According to Dr. Stephanie J. Watts-Williams, corresponding author of the study from the University of Adelaide in Australia, “Beneficial soil fungi could be used as a sustainable option to exploit soil-derived plant nutrients. In this case, we found potential to biofortify wheat with important human micronutrients by inoculating the plants with mycorrhizal fungi.”

Rhizophagus irregularis is a species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus that forms beneficial relationships with many types of plants. It helps these plants absorb more nutrients by extending its thin, root-like structures deep into the soil. This fungus has been widely studied and used in agriculture due to its broad compatibility with crops and ability to improve plant growth, health, and soil quality.

By boosting nutrient uptake naturally, R. irregularis supports more resilient plants and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. As such, it becomes a valuable tool in sustainable farming and reforestation efforts. This research not only opens doors to new possibilities but also highlights the potential for using beneficial fungi as an alternative solution to traditional agricultural practices.