27-Jun-2025
Releasing a molecular ‘brake’ may help immune cells better fight cancer
Van Andel Research InstitutePeer-Reviewed Publication
Van Andel Institute scientists and collaborators have discovered a potential treatment target that may re-energize dysfunctional or “exhausted” immune cells in their fight against cancer.
The target is an immune checkpoint called PTGIR, which regulates the number and cancer-fighting powers of T cells, the soldiers of the immune system. Too much PTGIR puts a brake on T cells and reduces their ability to release cancer-killing molecules.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Immunology, could help improve cancer immunotherapies by paving the way for new immune checkpoint inhibitors or engineered T cell therapies that block PTGIR signaling and re-invigorate T cells.
- Journal
- Nature Immunology
- Funder
- Van Andel Institute, Van Andel Institute Metabolism and Nutrition (MeNu) Program, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, NIH/National Institute on Aging, V Scholar Award, American Federation for Aging Grant for Junior Faculty, University of Texas Southwestern, University of Colorado, Clinic & Laboratory Integration Program Grant, Cancer Research Institute