Advances of research of Fc-fusion protein that activate NK cells for tumor immunotherapy.

The rapid development of bioengineering technology has introduced Fc-fusion proteins, representing a novel kind of recombinant protein, as promising biopharmaceutical products in tumor therapy. Numerous related anti-tumor Fc-fusion proteins have been investigated and are in different stages of development. Fc-fusion proteins are constructed by fusing the Fc-region of the antibody with functional proteins or peptides. They retain the bioactivity of the latter and partial properties of the former. This structural and functional advantage makes Fc-fusion proteins an effective tool in tumor immunotherapy, especially for the recruitment and activation of natural killer (NK) cells, which play a critical role in tumor immunotherapy. Even though tumor cells have developed mechanisms to circumvent the cytotoxic effect of NK cells or induce defective NK cells, Fc-fusion proteins have been proven to effectively activate NK cells to kill tumor cells in different ways, such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), activate NK cells in different ways in order to promote killing of tumor cells. In this review, we focus on NK cell-based immunity for cancers and current research progress of the Fc-fusion proteins for anti-tumor therapy by activating NK cells.

BRAF and KRAS mutations in metastatic colorectal cancer: future perspectives for personalized therapy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide and 30% of patients with CRC experience metastasis. Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) have a 5-year overall survival rate of <10%. V-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) and V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten ratsarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations are mostly studied in mCRC, as clinical trials found that first-line chemotherapy with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agent confers limited efficacy for mCRC. Treatment decisions for early-stage mCRC do not consider BRAF or KRAS mutations, given the dramatically poor prognosis conferred by these mutations in clinical trials. Thus, it is necessary to identify patients with mCRC harboring BRAF or KRAS mutations to formulate rational therapeutic strategies to improve prognosis and survival. BRAF and KRAS mutations occur in ∼10% and ∼44% of patients with mCRC, respectively. Although the survival rate of patients with mCRC has improved in recent years, the response and prognosis of patients with the aforementioned mutations are still poor. There is a substantial unmet need for prospective personalized therapies for patients with BRAF- or KRAS-mutant mCRC. In this review, we focus on BRAF and KRAS mutations to understand the mechanisms underlying resistance and improving the response rate, outcomes, and prognosis of patients with mCRC bearing these mutations and to discuss prospective personalized therapies for BRAF- and KRAS-mutant mCRC.

[Analysis of characteristics of dioxin contamination in the chlor-alkali site that uses graphite anode for production].

In order to find out the characteristics of dioxin contamination, we sampled and analyzed the soil and groundwater on a chlor-alkali factory site that uses graphite anode for production. The results show that the toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) of dioxins in soil samples exceeds the U. S. EPA region screening value (RSL), with the chlorine hydrogen processing workshop, the electric tank workshop, the asbestos stack area, the sewage treatment plant and the oil depot were affected. The dioxin concentration limit of the groundwater sample doesn't exceed the drinking water standard of China. Considering the fingerprints characteristics of dioxin-contaminated concentration, dioxin isomers content and TEQ, the priority pollutants for control on this site are 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF, OCDD and 2,3,7,8-TCDD. The results show that dioxin pollution is very serious in the chlor-alkali plant that uses graphite anode for production, and the environmental supervision is imperative.