Vaccines may make war on cancer personal
In the near future, physicians may treat some cancer
patients with personalized vaccines that spur their immune systems to
attack malignant tumors. New research led by scientists at the School of Medicine including senior author Robert Schreiber, PhD, has brought the approach one
step closer to reality.
Tumors disable immune cells by using up sugar
Cancer cells’ appetite for sugar may have serious consequences for immune cell function. Scientists have shown that in low-sugar environments immune T cells start using energy-making structures known as mitochondria (highlighted in this image in yellow and orange). This switch can prevent T cells from making
an inflammatory compound important for fighting cancers and some
infections.
Immune system uses heart channel to select powerful defenders
When the body makes immune T cells, it relies on a
molecular channel more commonly seen in nerves and heart muscles to
ensure that the powerful T cells have the right mixture of
aggressiveness and restraint, researchers at Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered.
Immune system memory cells have trick for self preservation
After defeating an infection, the immune system creates a memory of the attacker to make it easier to eliminate in the future. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered an important component of the immune system’s strategy for preserving such immunological memories.