AI Insight
Researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered how radiation therapy inadvertently causes immune cells to protect tumors instead of attacking them. The study reveals that radiation activates the TET2 protein in bone marrow immune cells, which removes chemical tags from RNA and locks these cells into an immune-suppressing state. The findings suggest a potential method to reprogram these cells to fight cancer rather than shield it.
Why it matters
This discovery could lead to new combination therapies that enhance the effectiveness of radiation treatment by preventing the immune suppression side effect. If successfully translated to clinical practice, it may improve outcomes for cancer patients receiving radiotherapy by enabling their immune systems to work alongside rather than against the treatment.
Understand the Science
Researchers at the University of Chicago have identified a mechanism to make immune cells reprogrammed by radiation therapy attack tumors rather than protect them. The study, published in Cancer Cell, shows that radiation activates a protein called TET2 on immune cells in bone marrow, where it removes chemical tags from RNA and locks these cells into an immune-suppressing state.
Source: Reversing radiation-activated immune suppression in cancer