Northeastern University

Cancer Cells as Immune Vampires

Dr. Tanmoy Saha, Brigham and Women's Hospital
November 5, 2024 3:30 pm

Cancer progresses by escaping the immune system. Recently we have reported a unique cellular mechanism by which cancer cell hijack mitochondria, the power source of the cell, from immune cells through tiny tentacles. The cancer cells work as a vampire for extracting the energy source and use them for their energy production; on the other hand, the immune cells die because of energy starvation. The process is so impulsive that immune cell gets deactivated even before the immunotharepy, the most advanced cancer treatment, cannot even make any significant impact. We have extended our effort to develop a drug-which can block the nanotube formation and mitochondria hijack from immune cell to cancer cells. Computational algorithms and organic chemistry concepts have been used to find out drug candidates, which can bind with the specific proteins and perturb the communication between cancer and immune cells by tiny tentacles. We have identified a few potential drug candidates and observed reduction of tumor in mouse tumor model. Moreover the outcome of immunotherapy has been increased dramatically in presence of the TS-1 drug. The small molecule-based immunomodulatory drug used in this study emerges as a next generation therapeutic strategy to combat cancer.

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