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Tel Aviv University Researchers Identify How Tumors Redirect Immune Cells
A Tel Aviv University study found that tumors can reprogram macrophages, immune cells that normally clear dead tissue, to support cancer growth instead. The work introduces a new tracking method and links the changes to faster tumor expansion and lower patient survival rates.
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Researchers at Tel Aviv University's Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences reported that tumors can redirect a normal immune process to promote their own growth. The study examined macrophages, cells that normally remove damaged tissue and limit inflammation.
The team developed a method called Effero-seq to track genetic changes in macrophages after they engulf dead cells. In a melanoma model, macrophages that consumed dead cancer cells activated genes linked to tumor support, formed new blood vessels inside tumors, and became less responsive to anti-cancer signals.
Analysis of patient data showed that tumors with higher levels of these reprogrammed immune cells correlated with lower survival rates in uveal melanoma cases.
Study Details The research was led by Dr.
Merav Cohen along with doctoral students Roi Balaban and Ori Moskowitz. Their findings were published in the journal Science Immunology. Dr. Cohen stated that understanding the mechanism could help develop treatments that block tumor support and restore normal immune function.
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