Scots scientists 'supercharge' cancer-fighting cells in potential 'gamechanger'
Scientists in Glasgow have found a potential way to revive “exhausted” cells and improve their defence against the disease.
Supercharging immune cells could provide a ‘gamechanging” way to tackle cancer, according to new research by scientists in Scotland.
Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow have found a potential way to “boost” T cells, which act as a key defence against the disease.
They looked at how the immune system works and why it becomes “exhausted” by the disease.
T cells, which are the immune system’s front line against disease, eventually become overcome by cancer, allowing it to grow.
But research has found that a little-known enzyme effectively “switches on” the energy supply to T cells, which could ultimately strengthen their defence against cancer.
It is now known that CMTR1 plays a vital role in energising T cells, acting as a switch to help the immune cells ramp up their energy production.
Lead researcher Victoria Cowling, of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and University of Glasgow, said: “T cells need to rapidly multiply and produce proteins to fight off infections. That requires a huge amount of energy.
“We’ve discovered that a little-known enzyme, called CMTR1, helps switch on the energy supply by changing how certain genes work.
“If we can find ways to boost this process, we could improve how the immune system responds to cancer which could be a game-changer in how we treat the disease.”
Without CMTR1, the mitochondria break apart and don’t work properly, leaving T cells weak and unable to fight off infections effectively. With CMTR1 present, T cells have more energy allowing them to proliferate and fight infection.
The team found that CMTR1 tweaks the instructions inside cells — known as RNA — so that the right versions of energy-related proteins are made.
These proteins help shape the mitochondria, which are like tiny batteries inside cells. With the right shape, mitochondria can produce more energy, helping T cells stay strong and active.
Now, researchers hope to identify new or existing treatments which increase CMTR1 to give T cells the support to tackle cancer cells.
Dr Catherine Elliott, Cancer Research UK Director of Research, said: “Scientific breakthroughs like this have the potential to transform how we see and, crucially, how we treat cancer.
“Our immune system is a key area of cancer research and scrutinising how it works can help create real-world impact for those affected by cancer.”
In Scotland, around 34,800 people are diagnosed with cancer each year, with around 16,400 people dying from the disease annually.
The study was funded by Cancer Research UK, the European Research Council, the Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust.
The Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute is leading from the front in research on the disease.
It has embarked on a major piece of work to find new and kinder ways to treat bowel cancer, which is increasingly being diagnosed in young people.
More than 40 bowel cancer experts have come together to find ways to improve treatments for this form of the disease, which kills around 1,700 people in Scotland every year.
A recent study by the American Cancer Society published in The Lancet Oncology showed early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults aged between 25-49 are rising in 27 of 50 countries studied - and are rising faster in young women in Scotland.
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