Altered metabolism betrays cancer cells
Published: Tuesday, May 21st 2024, 08:50
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Metabolic products betray cancer cells. Researchers at the University of Basel have shown in a study that certain immune cells can read the traces of the metabolism altered in cancer cells. In the long term, this could serve as a new target for immunotherapies against cancer, as the University of Basel announced on Tuesday.
Researchers led by Gennaro De Libero from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel discovered the immune cells known as MR1 T cells around ten years ago. The cells can attack and eliminate tumor cells. However, it was previously unclear how exactly they recognize the malignant cells.
In a study published in the journal "Science Immunology", they have now shown that the cause lies in the metabolism. This is because when cells become tumor cells, they fundamentally change their metabolism. The altered metabolism of the cancer cells produces a certain type of molecule that appears on the surface of these degenerated cells.
"The molecules are chemically modified DNA and RNA building blocks that are produced as a result of changes in three important metabolic pathways," explained De Libero, according to the University of Basel. In a next step, the researchers want to investigate these interactions of the metabolic products with the MR1 T cells in more detail.
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