Imagine a breakthrough that could change how we fight chronic diseases like cancer - researchers have discovered a special type of immune cell that doesn't get tired! These unique "stem-like T cells" have an incredible ability to resist exhaustion, thanks to a protein called ID3. The study, conducted by Melbourne's top research institutes, suggests this could lead to more effective and long-lasting treatments. It's like finding a superhero in our immune system that never gives up fighting.
February 03, 2025
New research identified rare type immune cells for response against Cancer: Study
"ID3+ T cells have the remarkable ability
to resist burnout and maintain a powerful immune response over time" -
Catarina Gago da Graca
Melbourne, February 3: The researchers have identified a rare type of
immune cell, called stem-like T cells, that holds the key to maintaining
powerful, long-term immune responses against cancer and other chronic
infections.
Key Points
1 Rare stem-like T cells
identified with extraordinary disease-fighting capabilities
2 ID3 protein enables unique
self-renewal and immune resilience
3 Research could transform cancer
immunotherapy and treatment strategies
Prolonged illnesses like cancer
and chronic infections often leave the immune system in a state of exhaustion,
where its frontline defenders - T cells - lose their ability to function
effectively.
The research, led by the Peter
Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) and the Peter
MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac), revealed that the endurance of stem-like T
cells is fuelled by a protein called ID3 and is expressed by a gene of the same
name.
As per the Study, these ID3+ T
cells have a unique ability to self-renew and resist exhaustion, giving them
the power to sustain immune responses far longer than other T cells that don't
express ID3 against chronic diseases.
The study is published in Science
Immunology. The University of Melbourne's Catarina Gago da Graca, PhD Candidate
at the Doherty Institute, said the research highlights how ID3+ T cells hold
the key to overcoming one of the biggest challenges in treating chronic
diseases--immune exhaustion.
"ID3+ T cells have the
remarkable ability to resist burnout and maintain a powerful immune response
over time, making them particularly effective in the face of chronic infections
or cancer," said co-first author Gago da Graca.
The research also found that
certain signals in the body could increase the number of ID3+ T cells, paving
the way for improved treatments like CAR T cell therapy.
Professor Ricky Johnstone,
Executive Director of Cancer Research at Peter Mac and co-lead author of the
study, said enhancing ID3 activity could strengthen the endurance of these
cells, making therapies more effective and long-lasting.
"We discovered that ID3+ T
cell formation could be promoted by specific inflammatory cues, potentially
offering new strategies to boost the number of immune cells that excel at
fighting cancer in patients," said Professor Johnstone.
"This could lead to better
treatments for cancer patients and improve clinical immunotherapy
outcomes." he added.
The University of Melbourne's Dr
Daniel Utzschneider, Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute, said the
findings could lead to advancements in immunotherapy treatments and the
development of vaccines that provide long-lasting protection.
This research is the result of a
collaborative effort between the Doherty Institute, Peter Mac, La Trobe
University, Northwestern University (USA), the Olivia Newton-John Cancer
Research Institute, the University of Birmingham (UK) and the University of
Melbourne.
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