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Summary Neuro-oncologist Ingo Mellinghoff first became intrigued by scientific questions regarding brain tumors while working in the lab of physician-scientist Charles Sawyers before both came to MSK. Now, Dr. Mellinghoff leads MSK’s Department of Neurology as it deploys innovative technologies to understand how these cancers develop and progress. When neuro-oncologist Ingo Mellinghoff was named Chair of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Department of Neurology in October 2020, it marked the culmination of a career devoted to studying how cancer affects the brain. Dr. Mellinghoff previously served as Chief of the MSK Brain Tumor Service and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurology as well as its Interim Chair. His research laboratory in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP) focuses on how faulty signals in brain cells can lead to the development and growth of brain tumors. ....
Summary New research from Memorial Sloan Kettering scientists suggests that a way to improve immunotherapy is by altering immune cells’ access to sugar. Cancer cells and immune cells share something in common: They both love sugar. Sugar is an important nutrient. All cells use sugar as a vital source of energy and building blocks. For immune cells, gobbling up sugar is a good thing, since it means getting enough nutrients to grow and divide for stronger immune responses. But cancer cells use sugar for more nefarious ends. So, what happens when tumor cells and immune cells battle for access to the same supply of sugar? That’s the central question that Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers Taha Merghoub, Jedd Wolchok, and Roberta Zappasodi explore in a new study published February 15 in the journal ....
One of the dozens of unusual symptoms that have emerged in COVID-19 patients is a condition that's informally called "COVID brain" or "brain fog." It's characterized by confusion, headaches, and loss of short-term memory. In severe cases, it can lead to psychosis and even seizures. It usually emerges weeks after someone first becomes sick with COVID-19.Now, researchers have reported an underlying cause of COVID brain: the presence of inflammatory molecules in the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (called the cerebrospinal fluid). ....
MSK researchers report an underlying cause of COVID brain One of the dozens of unusual symptoms that have emerged in COVID-19 patients is a condition that s informally called COVID brain or brain fog. It s characterized by confusion, headaches, and loss of short-term memory. In severe cases, it can lead to psychosis and even seizures. It usually emerges weeks after someone first becomes sick with COVID-19. In the February 8, 2021, issue of the journal Cancer Cell, a multidisciplinary team from Memorial Sloan Kettering reports an underlying cause of COVID brain: the presence of inflammatory molecules in the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (called the cerebrospinal fluid). The findings suggest that anti-inflammatory drugs, such as steroids, may be useful for treating the condition, but more research is needed. ....
T-Cells are cells in the immune system that, when bound to the CD28 receptor, can be activated to attack a certain structure in the body, according to Onate. The body uses CTLA-4 to compete with CD28 for the T-cells, so they don’t harm healthy cells. One angle of attack for in situ vaccination uses Anti-CTLA-4 inhibitors to activate the immune system to target cancer cells, Onate said. Anti-CTLA-4 inhibitors deactivate CTLA-4 so more T-cells may be activated to cause an immune response at the site of the tumor. “If CTLA are the brakes of the immune system, this is like putting the brakes on the brakes,” Onate said. “It inhibits the inhibitor.” ....