New mechanism with potential to boost checkpoint-blocking cancer immunotherapies identified
O riginally published by University of Aberdeen, on January 15, 2024 Credit: Molecular Therapy (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.11.028 Researchers at the University of Aberdeen working on a partnership study that looks at how the immune system could help improve cancer treatment have found a potential new way to aid and develop better cancer therapies . Together with colleagues at the University of Liverpool and the Center for Cancer Immunology at the University of Southampton , researchers examined the role of CTLA-4 , a cell surface molecule that plays a crucial role in the immune system . Known as a "checkpoint" receptor responsible for maintaining immune balance and tolerance , CTLA-4 works to prevent the immune system becoming too active at the end of a normal immune response. However, it is also subverted by cancer cells to prevent the immune system from attacking them. Researchers developed antibodies targeting CTLA-4 and these have shown promise in tr