A team of scientists and physicians have discovered that the immune checkpoint protein VISTA can directly turn off tumor-fighting T-cells during immunotherapy and resist treatment. The study explains that VISTA can bind to a protein called LRIG1 in T cells, which was previously only thought to promote bone and fat development. When VISTA binds to LRIG1, the researchers found, LRIG1 sends signals that suppress T cell replication, survival and function. This interaction can happen between molecules on tumor cells and on T cells, molecules on healthy cells and T cells and even between molecules on the same T cell.
When cells become tumor cells, their metabolism changes fundamentally. Researchers at the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel have now demonstrated that this change leaves traces that could provide targets for cancer immunotherapies.
Scientists have made several advances in the design of a class of HIV vaccines that could offer broad protection against the virus, according to four new research papers published this week in Science, Science Translational Medicine, and Science Immunology.
Cancer Immunotherapy Hampered by T Cell Inhibitory Checkpoint VISTA Protein genengnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from genengnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.