Melbourne (ANTARA) – Researchers in Australia discovered a molecular “safety switch” that helps cancer cells evade immune attacks and that helped uncover a mechanism for tumors to resist immunotherapy treatment.
Australia’s Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), Saturday (20/12), as reported by Xinhua, stated that its scientists were able to map the TAK1 gene which acts like a safety switch that protects cancer cells from strong signals produced by CD8+ T cells, the main killer cells of the human immune system.
ONJCRI, which led this research in collaboration with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Australia, said that TAK1 could be identified through large-scale genetic screening to look for genes that help cancer cells survive attacks by CD8+ T cells.
“It was known that TAK1 promotes cancer cell survival and inhibits cell death, but we didn’t know that cancer cells use this tactic to avoid being ‘killed’ by the immune system,” said Anne Huber, postdoctoral researcher at ONJCRI.
According to research published in the journal Cell Reports, when TAK1 in a laboratory model was blocked using CRISPR gene editing, tumor growth was reduced, which shows that the body’s immune system is able to control cancer cells better.
“Without TAK1, cancer cells lose the important protein cFLIP, which normally prevents cell death, and they become much more sensitive to immune attack,” Huber said.
He added that deactivating TAK1 makes cancer cells much more easily destroyed by the immune system, giving hope for more powerful treatment options.
Tirta Djajawi, a postdoctoral researcher at ONJCRI, said that blocking TAK1 could make current immunotherapies more effective “by eliminating the tumor’s self-protective capabilities.”
“TAK1 is like a shock absorber that allows cancer cells to survive the strongest attacks of the immune system. If TAK1 is removed, tumor cells will collapse under the force of the immune attack,” said Djajawi.
Cancer immunotherapy can work very well, but in some cases is less effective because of the tumor’s innate survival processes that help it fight off attacks by the immune system.
This research was conducted on various types of cancer, especially melanoma, which is often treated with immunotherapy.
Reporter: Xinhua
Editor: Michael Teguh Adiputra Siahaan
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