Immunotherapy is based on harnessing a person’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. However, patients with certain tumors do not respond to these therapies and it remains unclear why.
“The full impact of anti-cancer immunotherapy has not been realized, especially for some solid tumors,” says the lead author.
Researchers presume that part of the reason why these therapies fail is due to tumor-associated fibrosis, the creation of a thick layer of fibrous collagen (like scar tissue) that acts as a barrier to infiltrating anti-tumor immune cells such as cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs).
In a new paper, published in Nature Cancer, first author the researchers illuminate how the fibrotic tumor microenvironment creates an inhospitable milieu for anti-tumor immunity.
In the new study, which focused on breast cancer, the authors report that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), a type of immune cell found abundantly in the tumor microenvironment, respond to the physical properties of fibrosis by synthesizing injury-associated collagens that facilitate wound closure and “re-epithelialization.”
The resulting metabolic changes in TAMs result in metabolic byproducts that suppress the anti-tumor function of CTLs.
The lead author said the metabolic changes in the microenvironment present more of a challenge to anti-tumor responses than the physical barrier.
“CTLs normally migrate through spaces much smaller than the gaps in collagen networks that form around tumors,” the author says. “Our study provides an alternative explanation for why anti-tumor immunity is impaired in fibrotic solid tumors.”
The senior author said the findings underscore that the phenotype and function of immune cells in the context of cancer are heavily regulated by environmental factors, such as tissue stiffness and metabolic challenges.
“Our findings help improve understanding of the mechanisms that regulate anti-tumor immune responses in fibrotic tumors and will aid the development of novel strategies to work in conjunction with immunotherapies to treat cancer patients.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43018-024-00775-4
How tumor stiffness alters immune cell behavior to escape destruction
- 1,542 views
- Added
Latest News
Regular snoring could be ba…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Jun
Circadian rhythm drives the…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Jun
Six distinct types of depre…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Jun
Key role of a growth factor…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Jun
Bidirectional BCI functiona…
By newseditor
Posted 19 Jun
Other Top Stories
A toxic substance found in Staph bacteria stimulates tissue regener…
Read more
Will SARS-CoV-2 become endemic?
Read more
Evaluation of three coronavirus interactions with host targets
Read more
Fats provide immunity against bacteria
Read more
New blood test predicts which COVID-19 patients will develop severe…
Read more
Protocols
Deciphering spatial domains…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Jun
High-throughput volumetric…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Jun
Bioengineered human colon o…
By newseditor
Posted 14 Jun
Development of an efficient…
By newseditor
Posted 12 Jun
A co-culture system of macr…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Publications
Social Isolation and Loneli…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Jun
Regular snoring is associat…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Jun
Programmed cell death: NINJ…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Jun
Circadian-clock-controlled…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Jun
Personalized brain circuit…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Jun
Presentations
Myelin plasticity in the ve…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar