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Sunday, December 22, 2024

Researchers find unexpected role of T cells in advanced melanoma

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Peter Salovey President | Yale University

Peter Salovey President | Yale University

Yale researchers have uncovered a surprising role of certain T cells in patients with advanced melanoma. Published in Nature Immunology, the study reveals that some CD8+ T cells may assist tumors by attacking other immune cells rather than fighting cancer.

Dr. Benjamin Lu, a medical oncologist at Yale School of Medicine, explained the significance of these findings: “In some patients with melanoma, these CD8+ regulatory T cells are fighting against our own immune response and attack other T cells fighting the tumors — it’s an alternative function, besides killing the cancer cells.” He noted that understanding this behavior is crucial for improving treatment strategies for melanoma and potentially other cancers.

The research involved analyzing blood samples from melanoma patients to explore the relationship between CD8+ T cells and their evolution in both blood and tumor tissues. Dr. Lu stated, “Our goal was to learn how well the immune system could respond to melanoma cancers.”

Senior author Dr. David A. Hafler highlighted the broader implications of these findings: “These novel investigations extend the role of these newly discovered suppressor cells and their association with worse overall survival of patients with cancer provides a potential new immunotherapeutic approach by targeting these cells.”

The study also examined factors influencing CD8+ T cell levels. According to Dr. Lu, everyone has this subpopulation of T cells; however, their proportion varies depending on age, infection, or inflammation.

The research team hopes that insights into CD8+ regulatory T cells will enhance immunotherapy effectiveness and survival rates for advanced melanoma patients. They stress the importance of testing for these cells to identify who might benefit most from existing and future therapies.

Contributors to this study included researchers from Yale University, MIT’s Broad Institute at Harvard University, and Repertoire Immune Medicines in Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The work received support from several National Institutes of Health grants.

Yale Cancer Center remains dedicated to innovative cancer treatment as one of only 57 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers nationwide since 1974.

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