Scientists reprogram key immune cells to attack deadly brain cancer

Scientists have published new studies that detail the use of immune cells that promote tumors to attack aggressive and fatal brain cancer forms. This work involves ‘reprogramming’ these cells so they switch from protecting cancer brain tumors to attack them. The researchers noted that some rats involved in this study did not only reject brain tumors but also developed long-term immunity to them.

This study, which comes from Massachusetts General Hospital and other research institutions in Boston, focuses specifically on Glioblastomas, a type of cancer that is aggressive and deadly especially resistant to treatment. The researchers noted that the drug class called the immune checkpoint blocker (ICBS) is not an effective way to treat this type of cancer.

The reason is that even though the ICB triggers immune cells that are inactive to attack cancer cells while leaving the healthy network that is most untouched, Glioblastomas avoids this treatment by creating their micro-tumor environment, which takes over immune cells, protein, and their blood vessels and use it to promote tumors. growth.

This results in the blocking of immune cells that will attack tumors while allowing in regulator (treg) cells, which are immune cells that promote tumor growth. Scientists found that they could target this accumulation of Treg in cancer tumors and ‘reprogramm them’ to attack cancer cells that were originally protected.

“Because treg has been present in this tumor can be reprogrammed, this strategy does not depend on the additional recruitment of anti-tumor immune cells – other barriers for the success of immunotherapy in brain tumors,” explained Rakesh K. Jain, one of the researchers behind the study new.

This study involves mice with human glioblastoma, paving the way for the potential for future ways to treat shape of lethal brain cancer in humans.