JERUSALEM, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have found a method to eliminate cancerous tumors, even those resistant to immunotherapy, Tel Aviv University (TAU) said in a statement on Wednesday.
In a study published in Nature Communications, TAU researchers uncovered a cancer mechanism that prevents the immune system from attacking tumors.
They then found that reversing this mechanism stimulates the immune system to fight cancer cells, even in types of cancer considered resistant to prevailing forms of immunotherapy.
In the study, the researchers investigated how exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation suppresses the immune system and aimed to apply their findings to cancer.
The researchers comprehensively examined the changes in the skin induced by UV exposure, using a mouse model, and unexpectedly found a significant rise in the level of the protein called Ly6a.
They found that after exposure to UV radiation, the immune system's T cells, which play a critical role in fighting cancer, begin to express high levels of the Ly6a protein.
The team concluded that Ly6a serves as a brake through which UV inhibits the immune system to prevent overactivity, and that by releasing this brake, optimal activation of the immune system can be resumed.
The team next treated cancer with Ly6a antibodies, resulting in significant tumor reduction.
Moreover, cancers resistant to known treatments responded substantially to Ly6a antibodies.
TAU noted that this discovery may lead to new effective drugs against cancer, based on enhancing the immune system's response.
