A team of medical researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) has identified a mechanism that, when reversed, allows the immune system to combat immunotherapy-resistant tumors.
The study, led by Carmit Levy, Yaron Carmi, and doctoral student Avishai Maliah, was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. According to Carmit Levy, the discovery arose in his laboratory, which specializes in cancer research and the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on human skin.
“Typically, cancer researchers focus on the tumor and how it evades the immune system. In our case, we decided to study how UV exposure suppresses the skin's immune system and apply that knowledge to the context of cancer. This approach allowed us to discover a mechanism that tumors also use to block the immune response,” Levy said.
By reversing the original mechanism, the researchers were able to reactivate the immune system and allow it to effectively attack tumor cells. This could represent a step toward more effective treatments for patients whose tumors do not respond to conventional immunotherapy.