Investigators from Northwestern Medicine have developed a method to reprogram compromised immune cells, specifically macrophages, to target tumors more effectively. The study, published in Science Advances, reveals that the protein VISTA, implicated in treatment resistance of late-stage cancers, reprograms macrophages to support tumor growth. By using CRISPR techniques to inhibit the proteins AhR and IRAK1, researchers demonstrated a reduction in VISTA levels and increased survival in mice with late-stage tumors, providing a promising avenue for overcoming current immunotherapy limitations.
What's interesting about the protein is that it modulates macrophages within the tumor environment and instead of being anti-tumor as they should be, they become more pro-tumor.
The findings highlight a potential path forward for treating late-stage tumors that have become resistant to current therapies.
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