How they seek to boost the body defenses against cancer Mit experts

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO)he cancer It is one of the main causes of death in the world, with almost 10 million deaths in 2020. This disease, characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, represents a global challenge due to its ability to invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body through metastasis. Despite advances in treatments such as immunotherapymany types of tumors, including lung and ovary, are still difficult to treat.

By Infobae

In this context, from the Massachusetts Technology Institute (Mit)the researcher and associated teacher Stefani Sprangerseeks to understand why the immune system often fails to recognize and combat cancer cells. One of the points where science focuses is to make these tumors visible to the body and that, thus, it is the body responsible for limiting and even eliminating oncological pathology.

The organism has natural mechanisms to face cancer, including T cellsa specialized class of white blood cells capable of detecting and eliminating abnormal cells before they become tumors. But in some cases, certain cancers develop strategies to evade this natural response of the bodyemitting immunosuppressive signals that weaken or «deplete» the reaction capacity of T cells, thus allowing the development of the disease.

For this reason, much of the current investigation in Immunotherapy It seeks to understand why certain types of cancer – like those of lung and ovary – are able to neutralize the action of these immune cells. The objective: develop innovative treatments that can reverse that blockade and reactivate the natural capacity of the immune system to identify, combat and potentially eliminate the most difficult tumors.

«We want to understand why our immune system does not recognize cancer”He said Spranger In the press release issued by the Mit. His research seeks to open the possibility of improving immunological responses through vaccines or stimulating molecules of the immune system, known as cytokines. An approach could mark a change significant in the treatment of the most difficult cancers to address.

The challenge of reactivating T lymphocytes

According to WHO, lung and ovarian cancer are main causes of world mortality and require innovative approaches because their survival rates depend on effective therapies (infobae illustrative image)

The immune systemin addition to protecting the body against infections, it has the ability to identify and destroy cancer cells. However, some tumor cells manage T cellsleaving them unable to attack.

In recent years, Immunotherapy medications have proven to be effective to reactivate T cells In certain types of cancer, such as melanoma. This treatment consists of blocking the signals that inhibit the T cellsallowing them to attack the tumor again. However, according to the Mitthis approach has not shown the same results in other types of cancer, such as lung and that of ovary.

To address this problem, the team of Spranger has developed experimental models that mimic different cancer subtypes of Non -microcytic lunga type of tumor that in most cases does not respond well to the Immunotherapy. THE OBJECTIVE: Analyze why Immune system acts differently according to tissue affected.

The main objective of MIT research is to reverse the immune blockade caused by resistant tumors, making the body itself eliminate invasive cancer cells (Infobae Illustrative Image)

For example, while Immune control points inhibitors They can generate a strong skin response, their effectiveness is much lower in the lungs. «We focus specifically on ovarian cancer and glioblastoma because there are currently no effective treatments for them»he explained Spranger. Your equipment uses animal models to replicate the characteristics of these tumors and analyze how the Immune system Interact with them to study in detail the mechanisms of immune evasion and test new therapeutic strategies.

As explained from the Mit, Tumors resistant to therapies create microambientes that suppress the activity of T lymphocytesmaking it difficult to combat cancer. Spranger It seeks to identify what changes are necessary in these environments to trigger an effective immune response. «We are working to understand what the problem is exactly and then collaborate with engineers to find a good solution»he said.

New strategies for resistant tumors

T lymphocytes are white blood cells that can detect and eliminate abnormal cells from the organism, but some cancers emit signals that weaken them (Infobae illustrative image)

One of The most promising approaches is the combination of Therapies that include cytokines and other immunostimulant agents To overcome the barriers that tumors impose on the immune system, they stood out from the Mit. That is why the work of Spranger has highlighted the importance of Tumor microenvironmentan environment composed of immune cells, blood vessels and other elements that surround the tumor.

This microenvironment can influence both positively and negatively in the ability of the immune system to combat cancer. For example, some tumors release substances that inhibit T cells, which leads them to a state of exhaustion known as «thorough T cells.» The challenge is to find ways to reprogram this microenvironment to favor the immune system. This could include the use of combined therapies that not only attack the tumor, but also strengthen the patient’s immunological defenses.

The researcher has verified that the joint administration of cytokines and control points inhibitors improve the activation of T lymphocytes In the lungs. These molecules stimulate dendritic cellsfundamental in immune regulation. According to Spranger, «They are the conductor of the orchestra of all T cells, although they are a very scarce cell population».

Although scarce dendritic cells are fundamental in immune regulation because they control and activate the T lymphocytes necessary to combat resistant tumors according to the MIT (Infobae Illustrative Image)

The ability to reprogram the immune system could make a difference in difficult treatment cancers. According to the WHOhe lung cancer and the ovarian cancer They are among the main causes of death worldwide, with survival rates that depend largely on access to effective therapies. «We want to understand what we have to do in those places to induce a really good antitumor immune response.»said the expert.

The approach of Sprangerwhich combines basic research with interdisciplinary collaboration, seeks precisely to improve these therapeutic options. A strategy that could pave the path to more personalized and effective treatments: “We build model systems that resemble each of the different subsets of the Non -small cell lung cancer That does not respond, and we are trying to get to the bottom of the matter by which the immune system does not respond properly. ”

Although there are still many unknowns to solve, advances in the understanding of the immune system and its interaction with the Tumors They are opening new opportunities. According to the WHObetween 30 % and 50 % of cases of cancer They could be prevented through evidence -based strategies, and many types of tumors can be cured if they are detected and treated in time. However, For the most advanced or resistant cases, such as those studied by Spranger, innovative approaches are needed to overcome the current limitations of treatments.