All articles tagged with #cancer immunotherapy
UCLA researchers found creatine boosts dendritic cell activity and energy, enhancing the immune system's ability to activate killer T cells against tumors; in mice and human cells, creatine slowed melanoma growth and improved dendritic cell vaccines, suggesting potential to strengthen cancer immunotherapy, though human trials are still needed and safety considerations apply.
New findings show cancer cells that downregulate MHC I can still be targeted by CD4+ T cells via ferroptosis, expanding the role of helper T cells in cancer immunity and potentially strengthening immunotherapies beyond the traditional CD8+ T cell focus.
Scientists found that when cancer cells reduce MHC I to dodge killer CD8+ T cells, they become more vulnerable to CD4+ T cells, which trigger ferroptosis. This reveals a surprising cross-talk in the immune system, challenging a long-held immunology principle and suggesting new approaches to cancer immunotherapy and bone marrow transplantation by leveraging CD4+ T cell activity against tumors and allogeneic targets.
Lowering MHC I on cancer cells makes them more susceptible to ferroptosis driven by CD4+ T cells, revealing that the MHC I pathway can support CD4+ T cell–mediated immunity and challenging the classic CD4+/CD8+ division; these findings could guide new immunotherapies and bone marrow transplant strategies, especially for tumors that escape CD8+ T cell responses.
A widely used asthma medication may enhance the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies, potentially improving patient responses when used in combination, though further clinical validation is needed.
Researchers used cryo-expansion microscopy to preserve near-native cell structure and visualize cytotoxic T lymphocytes at the immune synapse in 3D, revealing a dome-shaped contact interface and variations in cytotoxic granules. Extending the technique to human tumor tissues, the team could observe T cells infiltrating tumors and deploying their killing machinery at nanometer-scale resolution, offering insights that could guide improvements in immuno-oncology therapies.
Scientists are reframing the thymus—a two-lobed gland behind the breastbone—as a central regulator of aging and immune health, with healthier thymuses linked to longer lifespans, lower cancer and heart-disease risk, and better responses to cancer immunotherapy; researchers are pursuing thymus rejuvenation and engineered thymic tissue to boost vaccines and transplant tolerance.
Scientists used cryo-expansion microscopy to visualize, in 3D and near-native conditions, how cytotoxic T lymphocytes form an immune synapse and destroy cancer cells with high precision—revealing a dome-shaped contact and granular cores—and extended the method to human tumor tissues to inform immuno-oncology.
Eli Lilly agreed to acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for up to $7 billion, with $3.25 billion upfront and the rest tied to milestones, in a deal expected to close in the second half of 2026. Kelonia’s in vivo CAR-T technology aims to reprogram patients’ T-cells inside the body to attack cancer, potentially offering a one-time IV therapy compared with traditional ex vivo CAR-T. Lilly plans to apply the tech beyond multiple myeloma to other blood cancers and possibly solid tumors, as part of a broader push to diversify beyond obesity and diabetes drugs amid ongoing biotech dealmaking and competition from J&J and Gilead-backed therapies.
After a turbulent year for funding and public trust, early-stage trials of mRNA cancer vaccines—including a personalized vaccine for pancreatic cancer—are showing strong immune responses and potential long-term benefit, with larger multisite trials and renewed NIH/NCI support underway, though funding and skepticism remain challenges.
In mice, blocking the Ant2 protein reprograms T cell energy metabolism, boosting their endurance and ability to detect and destroy cancer cells, a finding that could lead to metabolism-based immunotherapies.
Two small Nature Medicine trials suggest oral fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) pills may boost immunotherapy in advanced cancers: in metastatic kidney cancer, FMT reduced immunotherapy side effects and produced about a 50% response; in advanced lung cancer or melanoma, combining FMT with immunotherapy yielded response rates around 75–80%, higher than typical 39–45% rates. While promising, results are early and require larger trials.
Researchers found that cancer cells load the immune-inhibiting protein PD-L1 into tiny extracellular vesicles via the protein UBL3, helping tumors suppress immune responses. Statins block this UBL3-driven modification, reducing PD-L1 cargo and potentially improving responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors, with supporting evidence from non-small cell lung cancer patients showing fewer PD-L1–containing vesicles in those taking statins.
A Nature study identifies the E3 ubiquitin ligase KLHL6 as a dual regulator of CD8+ T cell exhaustion and mitochondrial fitness. KLHL6 promotes TOX poly-ubiquitination and degradation, delaying terminal exhaustion, while also restraining excessive mitochondrial fission via the PGAM5–Drp1 axis to maintain T cell metabolism. TCR stimulation downregulates KLHL6, but enforced KLHL6 expression in adoptively transferred T cells enhances anti-tumor and anti-viral responses, highlighting KLHL6 as a clinically actionable target to improve cancer immunotherapy by tuning proteostasis.
Scientists have discovered that a vitamin A metabolite, retinoic acid, can suppress the immune system's ability to fight cancer by promoting immune tolerance. They developed inhibitors that block this pathway, restoring immune responses and improving cancer vaccine efficacy, paving the way for new immunotherapy treatments.