Yves Chabu COLUMBIA, Mo. – The body’s immune system is the first line of defense against infections like bacteria, viruses or cancers. Some cancers, however, have developed the art of molecular deception to avoid destruction by the body’s immune system. However, a University of Missouri researcher might have found a new way to help the body’s immune system get past that deception and destroy the cancer. “Normally, your body’s immune cells are constantly on patrol to identify and destroy foreign entities in the body,” said Yves Chabu, an assistant professor in the Division of Biological Sciences. “Normal cells put up a ‘don’t-eat-me’ molecular flag that is recognized by immune cells, thereby preventing destruction of normal tissues. But some cancers have also developed the ability to mimic normal cells and produce this ‘don’t eat me’ signal. As a consequence, the immune system fails to recognize the cancer as a defective tissue and leaves it alone, which is bad news for the patient.”