Tired of being a T-cell?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Killer T-cells are immune cells that defend against tumors and viruses. But! One type of T-cell kills tumors, while another… becomes exhausted and just gives up. The problem? Telling them apart!
H. Kay Chung and team at UC San Diego used genetic information from T-cells to tackle this problem. They created a platform that pinpoints the proteins that drive exhaustion and distinguished the two cell types!
Even better? When those key proteins are removed from mice with solid tumors, those exhausted T-cells disappear and the tumor growth drops!
Turns out, with a little re-programming, you too can turn a tired T-cell around. Boo yah!