NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[pgsd]

Now, not being medically trained myself I wanted to ask AI for relevance of Michael Bigger's response to d_stock's post "Can anyone say Tam/microglia" and got this really interesting response:-

Thank you for your question. I have searched the web for information about the relevance of TAM/microglia with DCVax platform technology. Here is what I found:

TAM/microglia are tumor-associated macrophages and microglia, which are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). TAM/microglia can play a dual role in glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of brain tumor. On one hand, TAM/microglia can exert anti-tumor effects by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines, presenting tumor antigens, and activating T cells. On the other hand, TAM/microglia can also promote tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune evasion by producing anti-inflammatory cytokines, suppressing T cell function, and inducing immunosuppressive cells1.
DCVax is a platform technology that uses dendritic cells (DCs) as a personalized immunotherapy for glioblastoma and other solid tumors. DCs are the master cells of the immune system, capable of activating T cells and other immune cells. DCVax uses the patient’s own DCs and tumor cell lysate, which contains a broad spectrum of tumor antigens, to create a vaccine that can induce a specific and robust immune response against the tumor234.
DCVax platform technology may have a positive impact on TAM/microglia in glioblastoma. According to a phase 3 trial of DCVax-L, a type of DCVax for glioblastoma, the vaccine not only activated T cells, but also increased the infiltration of T cells into the tumor tissue, where they could interact with TAM/microglia2. Moreover, DCVax-L may modulate the phenotype and function of TAM/microglia, shifting them from a pro-tumoral to an anti-tumoral state. For instance, DCVax-L may increase the expression of MHC class II molecules on TAM/microglia, enhancing their antigen presentation and T cell activation1. DCVax-L may also reduce the expression of PD-L1 on TAM/microglia, preventing their immune suppression and T cell exhaustion1. Furthermore, DCVax-L may alter the cytokine profile of TAM/microglia, increasing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IFN-? and TNF-a, and decreasing the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10 and TGF-ß1.