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Newswise – A new study at Tel Aviv University has found that eosinophils – a type of white blood cell – are recruited to fight cancer metastases in the lungs. According to the researchers, these white blood cells produce their own destructive proteins, while invoking the T cells of the immune system that fight cancer. The researchers believe their findings may contribute to the development of innovative approaches to cancer immunotherapy treatments, based on the collaboration between T lymphocytes and eosinophils.
The study was led by Professor Ariel Munitz and PhD student Sharon Grisaru from the Department of Microbiology and Clinical Immunology at Sackler School of Medicine. The document was published in Research against cancer, a prestigious journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Researchers explain that eosinophils are white blood cells in the immune system that produce powerful destructive proteins – originally intended to fight parasites. However, in the modern western world, where high levels of hygiene have greatly reduced the threat of parasites, eosinophils often have a negative impact on humans, inducing phenomena like allergies and asthma.
By hypothesizing that the destructive power of eosinophils may prove beneficial if turned against cancer cells, the researchers initiated the present study. Prof. Munitz explains: “We chose to focus on lung metastasis for two main reasons: First, metastases, not primary tumors, are often the main problem in cancer treatment, and the lungs are a major problem. major target for metastases of many types. Second, in a preliminary study, we demonstrated that eosinophils collect in tumors growing in mucous tissues like the lungs, and therefore we speculated that they would also end up in lung metastases.
To start, the researchers looked at human cancerous tissue – biopsies of lung metastases taken from patients with breast cancer. They found that eosinophils reach the lungs and enter cancerous tissue, where they often release the destructive proteins they carry.
To examine the role of eosinophils in metastasis, the researchers used an animal model. They found that lung metastases developing in the absence of eosinophils were much greater than those exposed to eosinophils. These findings led to the conclusion that eosinophils effectively fight cancer, but the question remains: how do they do it?
Prof Munitz: “We have observed that when eosinophils are lacking, the tissue also lacks T cells – white blood cells known to fight cancer. Therefore, we assumed that eosinophils fight cancer through T cells. Our next task was to understand the mechanism. underlying this process. “
A thorough analysis of eosinophils found in metastases led to two important findings: first, in the presence of cancer, eosinophils release large amounts of chemokines – substances that invoke T cells; second, these chemokines are released when eosinophils are exposed to two other substances found in the cancer environment, called IFN-g and TNF-a. In other words, in response to IFN-g and TNF-α, eosinophils recruit T cells for enhancement. Ultimately, T cells arriving and developing in the affected lungs slow the growth of tumors.
Teacher. Munitz: “Increasing the number and potency of T cells is one of the main targets of immunotherapy treatments given to cancer patients today. In our study, we discovered a new interaction that calls large amounts of T cells to cancerous tissue, and our findings may have therapeutic implications.In the end, our study may serve as a basis for the development of improved immunotherapeutic drugs that employ eosinophils to fight cancer in two ways: on the one hand, eosinophils will attack cancer directly by releasing their own destructive effects. proteins, while on the other hand, they will increase the number of T cells in the cancer environment. We believe that the combined effect can significantly improve the effectiveness of the treatment.
The study was funded by ICRF (Israel Cancer Research Fund), Israel Cancer Association, ISF (Israel Science Foundation), BSF (US-Israel Binational Science Foundation) and GSK.
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