New screening method identifies potential anticancer compounds that reawaken T cells

Cancer is history!

"Cancerous tumors often thrive because they render T cells dysfunctional or “exhausted.” The new method uncovers medicinal compounds that can restore the function of these T cells, making cancers vulnerable to them again. ... The scientists demonstrated the potential utility of the approach by using it to rapidly screen a collection of more than 12,000 drug compounds—uncovering 19 that can reawaken exhausted T cells. ... but also to quickly analyze these T cells to determine how these compounds work on them ... A unique variant of LCMV [lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus] known as “clone 13” establishes a persistent infection by exhausting the virus-specific T cells that are required to clear the infection. It does this by boosting signals through T-cell receptors such as PD-1 and IL-10. The discovery that LCMV clone 13 can survive by switching off anti-LCMV T cells was quickly followed by the recognition that cancers often persist using the same trick."

New screening method identifies potential anticancer compounds that reawaken T cells | Scripps Research The technique may be useful in developing new combination-immunotherapy regimens against cancers and persistent infections.