Immune and in tune: the overlooked cells that could improve immunotherapy

by Sydney Ghazarian

Microscopic close up of a green dendritic cells amongst blue and red cells against a black background

Immune and in tune: the overlooked cells that could improve immunotherapy

by Sydney Ghazarian

Microscopic close up of a green dendritic cells amongst blue and red cells against a black background

Scientists have uncovered how a little-known group of immune cells could help make immunotherapies more effective against cancer.

Immunotherapies use the body’s own defence force (the immune system) to fight cancer, but they aren’t effective for all patients.

A new study by researchers at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute could help explain why. The team found that a rare group of immune cells called activated dendritic cells plays a more crucial role in coordinating anti-cancer immune responses than previously thought.

Now that they’ve shown how these cells mediate the body’s natural cancer-killing process, the team hopes their work could pave the way for researchers to create treatments that help more patients.

Scientists have uncovered how a little-known group of immune cells could help make immunotherapies more effective against cancer.

Immunotherapies use the body’s own defence force (the immune system) to fight cancer, but they aren’t effective for all patients.

A new study by researchers at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute could help explain why. The team found that a rare group of immune cells called activated dendritic cells plays a more crucial role in coordinating anti-cancer immune responses than previously thought.

Now that they’ve shown how these cells mediate the body’s natural cancer-killing process, the team hopes their work could pave the way for researchers to create treatments that help more patients.

Our orchestral immune system

Our immune systems are like an orchestra, full of many different members that work in harmony to keep our bodies healthy.

Conducting this complex symphony are dendritic cells. These roaming immune cells are constantly on the lookout for signs of trouble, like infections or unusual cells, throughout our bodies. When they find a threat, they break it down into smaller pieces and use those pieces like batons to direct other immune cells into action.

Dendritic cells are especially important for protecting against cancer. Their long, baton-wielding arms mean they can cue and coordinate specialised immune cells, called killer T cells, to track down and remove cancer cells from the body.

This is a complex process that scientists have struggled to study. Recently, research has shown that some dendritic cells become much more active in response to cancer, almost as if they were conducting an especially dramatic passage of music.

But it’s unclear what this change in behaviour means for the overall immune system. Some studies suggest that activated dendritic cells can strengthen anti-cancer immune responses, while others suggest they hinder them.

So, to clear up this confusion and uncover how these cells work, the team in Manchester developed new tools to track them in action.

Microscopic close up of a yellow dendritic cell against a black background Microscopic close up of a yellow dendritic cell against a black background

The study

To finally understand the role of activated dendritic cells, the team created models that allowed them to track and selectively remove the cells as they responded to cancer.

When the team removed activated dendritic cells from mouse models with tumours, they saw that the mice’s T cells quickly lost their way. Most of them couldn’t get moving to locate the tumours, and those that did became so exhausted they couldn’t keep fighting.

“Activated dendritic cells do not just launch the anti-tumour immune responses, they are also essential for sustaining them within the tumour itself,” explains Dr Sabtuagi Zelenay, one of the senior researchers who worked on the study.

These findings could be especially important when it comes to cancer treatments. Even when the models were treated with immunotherapies, their killer T cells still couldn’t effectively attack the cancer cells unless they had activated dendritic cells to guide them.

“This changes how we think about their role and opens up new opportunities to improve cancer immunotherapy.”
Dr Sabtuagi Zelenay

Watch this video to see how killer T cells (green) usually attack cancer cells (blue).

Potential for immunotherapiesbe

Until now, immunotherapies have largely focused on amplifying the strengths of T cells. But the team in Manchester’s findings reveal that these cells work best when they’re guided by the skilful hands of activated dendritic cells. 

“Modern immunotherapies rely on strong and coordinated immune responses, yet many people still do not benefit from these treatments,” explains Dr Maria Koufaki, a key researcher who worked on the study.

“If we can find ways to boost activated dendritic cells, we may be able to strengthen the immune system’s response to cancer and help more patients benefit from immunotherapy, including some whose cancers currently resist treatment.”

Scientists are already developing dendritic cell-based treatments, including vaccines, to help the body clear cancer. This research suggests that may only be the beginning. As we continue to learn about our immune system’s many different players, we can create treatments that help them work together more effectively.

Microscopic close up of a green dendritic cells amongst blue and red cells against a black background

If you’d like to hear more about dendritic cells and how this study could improve cancer treatments, you can watch Dr Koufaki’s video here.

Microscopic close up of a green dendritic cells amongst blue and red cells against a black background
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