Our immune system is designed in an interesting way. On the one hand, it can overcome almost any infectious agent. On the other hand, the immune system very often does not “see” any immediate danger. Something like this happens with cancer. But recently a group of researchers from the United States and Israel have discovered a new method of activation of the immune system. It is based on the mechanism that allows you to detect the viruses. Only in this case prishodit labeling of cells. It is reported that the new method will allow to detect and destroy cancer more effectively than it does now.
According to the editors of the journal Nature, an international team of researchers headed by a Professor at Harvard medical school Nick Haining and scientists Erez Levanon and Ilana Baumanskaya of the Israeli Bar-Ilan University. In the course of work, scientists found that by inhibiting certain immune mechanisms responsible for “detection of viruses”, it is possible to deal more effectively with lung cancer and melanoma.
“We found that if these mechanisms are blocked in the body, susceptible to cancer, the immune system becomes much more sensitive and in turn more and more aggressive tumors.”
Scientists have found that loss of function of the RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 in cancer cells allows to weaken the tumor and make them more susceptible to anticancer therapy. Yes, it will make the body more sensitive to a number of viruses, but this can be compensated antiviral activities. Besides, after “off” ADAR1 tumors become more susceptible to all types of treatment from traditional drug therapy. Moreover, in some cases, blockade helps also in the treatment of tumors who received resistance towards the therapy.
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