Scientists investigate new way to ‘destroy’ cancer cells

A study conducted by scientists from the University of Davis (UCD) and Indiana University in the United States explains that it may be possible to develop a treatment for health problems involving cancerous tumors. The study was published in the scientific journal Cell Death & Differentiation. could help develop procedures to help people with cancer around the world.

According to the research, scientists managed to close the ‘gates’ of the Fas receptor, also known as CD95 and nicknamed ‘death receptor’. They claim to have found an epitope of the CD95 receptor It has the ability to ‘instruct’ cells to self-destruct, in this case cancer cells, leading to different types of disease.

It’s been a long time since other scientists discovered that Fas was one of the keys to killing cells; but the new study will help further research into how to use it against cancer cells. Until then, CD95 was thought to be ‘ineffective’ in cancer immunotherapy. But there may be a new answer to a real and effective treatment to fight the disease.

“Previous efforts to target this receptor were unsuccessful. But now that we have identified this epitope, there may be a therapeutic pathway to target Fas in tumors. These are often referred to as cold tumors because immune cells are simply unable to penetrate microenvironments to achieve a therapeutic effect,” he said. said immunologist and senior study author Jogender Tushir-Singh.

against cancer cells

An epitope is like a signal on the surface of a molecule and is usually part of a protein. The human body’s immune system has the ability to identify it using B or T cell receptor antibodies; When interacting with the correct epitope, cells act as a ‘ticking time bomb’, activating the body’s proteins. In this situation, The epitope in Fas can lead to cell death; If all goes as expected, this action could lead to programmed cell death and help fight cancer.

One possible treatment is based on CAR T cells that scientists use. Edit T cells and insert a specific antibody to attack cancer cells. It’s no surprise that many scientists believe this is a promising technique for some types of cancer, such as leukemia.

“Before we consider giving CAR T to a patient, we need to know a patient’s Fas status, particularly the mutations around the discovered epitope. This is a definitive marker for treatment efficacy for those involved in CAR T therapy. This paves the way for the development of antibodies.” Cells that activate Fas, selectively kill tumor cells and potentially support CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors,” adds Tushir-Singh.

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