Scientists have found a way to teach the immune system to fight cancer

The human immune system is designed in such a way that it noticesthe wrong molecules that shouldn't be in the body and destroys them. Such molecules include viruses, as well as proteins that appear in the wrong place, and not when they should, that is, they are suspicious. These include proteins that coat cancer cells. They are also called target proteins. The immune system recognizes them and starts attacking the cancer. But why, then, is cancer such a severe and sometimes incurable disease, you ask? The problem is that cancer cells have a mechanism that can deceive the immune system, as a result of which the immune system quickly ceases to perceive malignant tumors as hostile, capable of harming the body. Employees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology talked about the mechanism that allows cancer cells to deceive the immune system, and also found a way to make the immune system fight cancer.

Scientists have come up with a way to force the immune system to destroy cancerous tumors

How the immune system works and why it is deceived by cancerous tumors

As you know, the main weapon of immunity iscytotoxic T-lymphocytes. Their task is to recognize bacteria or infected viruses and attack them. However, a large number of proteins appear on the surface of the tumor. Moreover, T-cells can recognize the same protein by its different parts. As a result, as the researchers write, a large number of different groups of T cells appear, designed to recognize different molecular features of target proteins.

Some groups of T cells efficiently recognize proteins,others are less efficient. As a result, they begin to compete with each other. This leads to the fact that only one active group of T-lymphocytes remains in the body, which recognizes cancer most effectively, the rest are suppressed, but do not completely disappear. They remain in the body in a depressed state. This mechanism is used by the body in order to save its resources - why should it create many groups of T-cells if even one will cope with its task more efficiently?

The immune system itself suppresses most of the T-lymphocytes, preventing them from fighting cancer

It would seem that everything is logical and expedient, but inat this point, the cancerous tumor enters the fight against immunity. She deceives the remaining single group of T-lymphocytes. As a result, they stop fighting the tumor, but they still suppress any other T-lymphocytes that try to attack the tumor. That is, malignant cells begin to use the most effective T-cells as their "guards". As a result, the tumor begins to grow unhindered.

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Vaccination against cancer will wake up T-lymphocytes

MIT scientistsInstitute, after analyzing the work of the immune system against cancer, decided to restore suppressed T-cells through vaccination. Detailed results of the study are described in an article published recently in the journal Cell. To test the therapeutic effect, the researchers used mice with a malignant tumor in the lungs.

According to Megan Burger, lead authorresearch, she found that after vaccinating mice with nanoantigens, that is, proteins that arise on cancer cells, suppressed populations of T cells “rejuvenate” and begin to attack malignant cells again. Moreover, they were most successful when vaccinating mice with nanoantigens of a certain type, with which T-cells bind weakly.

Vaccination with target proteins made it possible to activate dormant T-lymphocytes

The use of one of these proteins allowedreduce tumors in mice by about 27 percent. At the same time, T-cells began to multiply more actively and effectively indicate malignant cells to the immune system. And, most importantly, after vaccination, among the population of T-lymphocytes there were cells that have a long-term “memory” that provides a long-term immune response to a cancerous tumor.

In future work, the scientists plan to testthe therapeutic effect of this technology is coupled with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors. They also act on T cells, stimulating them to attack the tumor. As a result, vaccination will stimulate the reproduction of T-cells, and drugs will make them even more active. You can read about the results of these studies on our Yandex.Zen channel.

Megan Burger also says that efficiencytechnologies to enhance the individualization of proteins. That is, the identification of certain proteins that are present on a specific cancerous tumor, and the creation of a vaccine based on them. Let me remind you that this idea is not new. Earlier, I talked about another study by scientists who tested individual vaccines on patients with severe cancer, with good results.

Finally, I note that the treatment of cancer byImmunity stimulation is one of the most promising areas today. However, in parallel, scientists are developing drugs that are more affordable and effective than existing ones. One of these is a preparation based on goat's milk.