Nature: Newly discovered T cells are expected to become a new force in immunotherapy

A recently discovered type of immune cell could be a new force in immunotherapy, researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center report

These cells, called killer innate-like T cells, differ from the workhorse of many immunotherapies (cytotoxic T cells)

"We think these innate killer T cells can be targeted for cancer therapy

Dr.

They found that, on the one hand, the innate-like killer T cell does not produce the immune checkpoint molecule PD-1, so it does not experience exhaustion like traditional killer T cells

Innate-like killer T cells also do not need antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells, to alert them to the presence of a seemingly dangerous antigen

Finally, unlike traditional T cells, these cells do not circulate throughout the blood and lymph

Since innate-like killer T cells can recognize unmutated antigens, why do they not cause autoimmunity

At the same time, the cells were more sensitive to a molecule called IL-15, which is produced by many cancer cells and is a danger signal that stimulates the immune system to function

While most of the experiments were performed in mice, the researchers demonstrated that innate-like killer T cells are present in human tumors, including colorectal cancer tumors

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Chou, C.