Abstract: Natural killer cells were first described in the early 1970s on a functional basis according to their ability to lyse tumor cells in the absence of prior stimulation. Since their discovery, NK cells have been shown to have other important functions that led to the use of NK cells as a form of adoptive immunotherapy. Over the next 5-10 years, with the advances in the field of NK cells we will undoubtedly see the use of allogeneic and autologous NK cells at the forefront of cancer immunotherapy. ... Read more

Abstract: Despite the success of organ transplantation, most transplant patients are susceptible to variety of infections and cancer due to the use of potent immunosuppressive drugs for life to prevent transplant rejection. Regulatory T cells are capable of preventing transplant rejection while leaving the immune system's function against infection intact. Thus, adoptive cell therapy using patient-specific regulatory T cells as individualized medicine could promote clinical transplantation tolerance without the use of nonspecific immunosuppressive agents. ... Read more

Abstract: The success of organ transplantation is one of medicine's finest accomplishments. Ironically, this same success has led to a dilemma in that there are simply too few donor organs available to treat the millions of patients that would benefit from their procurement and transplantation. The answer(s) to this shortage will likely come from transplanting specific cells, i.e., cell transplantation, tailored to replace equally specific functions normally served by damaged tissues or organs. To facilitate successful clinical outcomes, technologies derived from areas such as nanoscience will play a more prominent role and will be discussed in this review. ... Read more

Abstract: The systemic absorption of drugs is limited by their physicochemical properties and by physiological processes. Intense research efforts have been directed towards the development of novel strategies for enhancing systemic absorption of poorly absorbed molecules, administered orally or by other noninvasive routes. This article discusses some of these absorption enhancement strategies with respect to intestinal and other transmucosal drug delivery routes. ... Read more

Abstract: Increasing efforts have recently been spent onto the accomplishment of oral colon targeting. Indeed, this has been related to a number of local as well as systemic highly interesting applications, such as a more effective and tolerable therapy of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the pharmacological prevention of colorectal adenocarcinoma, and a possible improvement in the oral bioavailability of peptide and protein drugs. For the purpose of colon targeting, a variety of delivery technologies have been described, which rely on typical variation patterns shown by selected physiological parameters throughout the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, this article is focused on time-based formulation approaches that exploit the relative consistency in the small intestinal transit time (SITT) of dosage forms. ... Read more

Abstract: The use of naturally occurring viruses in the treatment of cancer is not new, and reports describing the administration of viruses to cancer patients date back more than fifty years. The advent of molecular biology and the arrival of biologics to the cancer therapy arena have now set the stage for a fresh look at the potential of these agents. These viruses have the potential to specifically target tumor cells, and insights into the molecular mechanisms of this selectivity are beginning to emerge. ... Read more

Abstract: The immune system usually detects and destroys pre-malignant cells, which are cells that have initiated oncogenic transformation. To fulfill this role, the immune system must distinguish between normal and transformed cells rather than between self and non-self. A large body of novel research studies illuminates the close relation between immunosurveillance and oncogenesis, suggesting new strategies for reestablishing the immune response against established tumors. ... Read more