New method turns tumor-supporting cells into killer cells

On April 11, Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science said an international team of researchers from Israel, the United States and China had developed a genetic method to reprogram a type of immune cell, turning them from cancer promoters to cancer inhibitors.

The study focused on macrophages, a type of cell that can mount an immune response. In many cancers, macrophages are protective allies of tumors, helping them grow and even spreading to other tissues.

Using advanced gene editing tools and artificial intelligence (AI), researchers analyzed human tumor samples and identified 120 genes that are likely responsible for this transformation.

Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and single cell analysis, they focused on a gene called Zeb2.

The researchers found that Zeb2 acts as a master switch. When active, Zeb2 causes macrophages to support cancer, whereas when Zeb2 is silenced, macrophages return to their natural role of fighting cancer.

The above research results are said to open up a promising opportunity for cancer treatment./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phuong-phap-moi-bien-te-bao-ho-tro-khoi-u-thanh-te-bao-tieu-diet-post1027147.vnp