Reversing radiation-activated immune suppression in cancer

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University of Chicago researchers identified a radiation-triggered mechanism that can leave bone-marrow immune cells in a tumor-protecting, immunosuppressive state. The study, published in Cancer Cell, suggests that reversing TET2-driven RNA changes could help immune cells attack tumors after radiation therapy.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have identified a mechanism to make immune cells reprogrammed by radiation therapy attack tumors rather than protect them. The study, published in Cancer Cell, shows that radiation activates a protein called TET2 on immune cells in bone marrow, where it removes chemical tags from RNA and locks these cells into an immune-suppressing state.