Breakthrough in cancer treatment: How does immunotherapy work?

January 10, 2020  21:07

Scientists have figured out how immunotherapy works - the mechanism by which helper cells destroy malignant neoplasms. This can be considered a real breakthrough in the cancer treatment, Daily Mail reported.

Thanks to the results of the study, more effective cancer drugs may appear.

For several years, doctors have used CAR T-therapy so that immune cells directly affect tumor cells while treating people with blood cancer. They knew that these helper cells began to aggressively fight tumors after starting therapy. However, it remained a mystery to scientists how exactly this entire system for the destruction of tumors functions.

And now the answer to this question has been received thanks to the work of scientists from University College London: they have identified two molecules responsible for the initiation of T-cell activity. Thus, by increasing the levels of IL-2 and Blimp-1, which regulate immune cells, it is possible to induce CD4 + T cells to attack the tumors. This discovery allows us to talk about the possible emergence of new effective cancer treatments that maximize the therapeutic effect of CD4 + T cells in the fight against malignant neoplasms.

T cells are a type of white blood cell that plays a critical role in the immune system. They constantly patrol the human body and look for infected cells in it. However, under normal conditions, these cells do not recognize cancer, since tumors usually develop from the body’s own tissues. During immunotherapy, T cells are trained to find and destroy deadly tumors.

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