Immunotherapy Cancer Treatment Sees Great Breakthrough as Scientists Get Greater Glimpse of How the Immune System Responds to Cancer

Scientists have seen a great breakthrough in understanding how the immune system may respond to cancer.

By getting a better glimpse of such biochemical pathways, existing immunotherapy treatment efficiency could be increased. It may also be possible to increase their accessibility to a wider patient range.

Immunotherapy Cancer Treatment

Immunotherapy capitalizes on the immune system of the body for fighting off cancer. Normally, the immune system works a lot in order to find and destroy possibly malignant cells before they become a tumor.

However, there are some situations where the immune system cannot effectively do its job. If it ends up weak, it could recognize a cancerous cell but not be able to kill it.

Cancer cells are also skilled in hiding from the immune system. They are also quite good at coming up with signals that could stop the immune system from combating them.

Immunotherapy basically involves helping the immune system spot and attack such cancer cells.

This treatment also has various crucial benefits compared to traditional chemotherapy. For one, though some side effects are present, immunotherapy is less toxic and also easier for patients to manage.

Secondly, by teaching the immune system how to fight off the cancerous tumor, patients could develop chronic immunological memory against future recurring tumors. It may also stop such tumors from coming back.

However, immunotherapy does not work for everyone, though the exact figures could be different for varying treatments and cancers. Nevertheless, novel research appears promising, as up to three in five patients could be responsive to some immunotherapies.

As for the remaining 40%, what if their immune system's response to such cancers could be boosted?

Role of TIMP-1 in the Immune System's Response to Cancer

That is what researchers of the new study looked into. The "TIMP-1 is an activator of MHC-I expression in myeloid dendritic cells with implications for tumor immunogenicity" study mainly focused on the TIMP-1 protein, which is traditionally known to have a role in protecting the cells and tissues of the body against damage.

TIMP-1 is typically produced by dendritic cells, which hold responsibility for initiating responses of the immune system and boosting the ability of the immune system to recognize and destroy cells that are cancerous.

Based on this new study, this protein may also help boost the ability of the immune system to spot and attack cancer cells.

The research team observed that high TIMP-1 levels in melanoma tissue were linked with a higher infiltration of "killer" T-cells, which are the immune system's soldiers, and general survival.

Biomedicine professor Carlos Rogerio Figueiredo, the lead author of the study from the University of Turku, said that for patients who are deficient in the expression of the TIMP-1 protein, their discovery could aid in creating innovations that are therapeutic and rational.

He also noted that such findings could also aid in boosting the immune systems of patients against bacteria and viruses.

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