Lijie Zhai
Tanzania
Commentary
The Kynurenine/Tryptophan Ratio and Glioblastoma Patients Treated with Hsppc-96 Vaccine
Author(s): Alicia Lenzen, Lijie Zhai, Kristen L Lauing, Galina Gritsina, Erik Ladomersky, Matthew Genet, C David James, Orin Bloch and Derek A WainwrightAlicia Lenzen, Lijie Zhai, Kristen L Lauing, Galina Gritsina, Erik Ladomersky, Matthew Genet, C David James, Orin Bloch and Derek A Wainwright
The discovery that immunotherapy is a clinically-relevant approach for the treatment of malignant tumors is revolutionizing patient care. In adults diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive and incurable primary brain tumor, autologous HSPPC-96 vaccination provides a significant increase in overall survival. However, all GBM patients eventually succumb to their disease, providing rationale for discovering new methods that proactively identify individuals that will respond, optimally. Of the immunosuppressive mediators that contribute to the inhibition of productive tumor immunity, indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), a rate-limiting enzyme that catabolizes tryptophan (Trp) into kynurenine (Kyn), has been demonstrated to be expressed at elevated levels in patients with malignant glioma. Recently, our group determined that a correlation exists between peripheral blood Trp and Ky.. View More»
