Scientists Discover Key to Fighting Cancer and Chronic Illnesses

Stem-like T cells offer potential in treating cancer and chronic illnesses by targeting immune response.

Chronic illnesses such as cancer and infections can exhaust the immune system, impairing the effectiveness of T cells, its primary defense. Research has discovered a rare type of immune cell, known as stem-like T cells, which may play a crucial role in sustaining strong, long-term immune responses ().

Published in Science Immunology, the study revealed that the endurance of these stem-like T cells is fuelled by a protein called ID3, expressed by a gene of the same name. 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.

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ID3+ T Cells: Unlocking Long-Lasting Immune Response

The University of Melbourne’s Catarina Gago da Graça, 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.

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. While CAR T therapy has been transformative in treating certain cancers, its effectiveness can wane over time due to T cell exhaustion.

Professor Ricky Johnstone, Executive Director 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.

CAR T-Cell Therapy
CAR T-cell therapy is a type of gene therapy where the patient’s T-lymphocytes are genetically altered to target cancer cells within the patient’s body.

“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.”

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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.

“Exhausted immune cells remain one of the biggest challenges in treating chronic diseases,” said Dr Utzschneider.

Non-Communicable Diseases
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are a group of chronic non-infectious diseases which include Cardiovascular Diseases, Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus and Cancer. They contribute to the maximum number of deaths globally.

“This research provides a roadmap for how we might reinvigorate the immune system to improve health outcomes for people living with cancer or chronic infections like HIV or hepatitis B and C, thanks to these stem-like T cells, the immune system’s secret power.”

Reference:

Stem-like memory and precursors of exhausted T cells share a common progenitor defined by ID3 expression - (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.adn1945)

Source-Eurekalert