PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New mechanism revealed: How leukemia cells trick the immune system

2025-10-03
(Press-News.org) A research team at Lund University in Sweden has discovered a mechanism that helps acute myeloid leukemia cells to evade the body’s immune system. By developing an antibody that blocks the mechanism, the researchers could restore the immune system’s ability to kill the cancer cells in laboratory trials and in mice. The discovery is published in Nature Cancer.

In brief:

Facts about the study: peer-reviewed // basic research // translational research // in vivo // in vitro //

The study shows how a newly discovered mechanism helps leukemia cells to evade the immune system. By generating a new antibody, the researchers could impede the mechanism and the immune system regained the ability to identify and combat the cancer cells. The studies involving the antibody are conducted on, among other things, human cells that are transplanted into mice. Immunotherapy has improved the treatment for many cancers, but progress has been limited in leukemia. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is particularly intractable, with a five-year survival rate of just over 30 per cent. The existing treatments are often aggressive and may include both strong chemotherapy and stem cell transplantations.

“We wanted to see if we could find surface proteins unique to leukemia stem cells, and which would therefore act as interesting targets for a targeted treatment. If such proteins were not present on healthy blood stem cells it might be possible to attack the tumour – without harming the healthy blood system,” says Thoas Fioretos, research group leader and professor of clinical genetics at Lund University, and senior consultant at Skåne University Hospital.

In the new study, the researchers identified a previously unknown surface protein that is expressed on the leukemia stem cells, but not on healthy blood stem cells. The discovery was enabled by a large-scale mapping of proteins in leukemia stem cells in bone marrow samples from three patients with particularly intractable AML. The mapping was then compared with the blood stem cells of healthy individuals. It was then that the researchers discovered the surface protein, SLAMF6, was only expressed on the diseased cells. The finding was then validated in an additional 50 AML patients.

The researchers then studied the protein’s function in CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors experiments. The protein was shown to play a central role in how the cancer cells evade detection by the immune system’s T cells, which means that the cancer cells can continue to grow undisturbed.

It was also shown that the mechanism can be attacked.

“When we blocked the surface protein, using a specific antibody we developed in cooperation with the SciLifeLab Drug Discovery and Development Platform, the T cells could suddenly detect and kill the cancer cells – both in test tubes and in mice,” says Carl Sandén, researcher at Lund University. He and Thoas Fioretos are the corresponding authors of the study.

It was like turning on the switch to the immune system again. When the surface protein does its job, it helps the cancer cell to elude the immune system, but by turning it off with the developed antibody, the immune system’s T cells could attack and kill the cancer cells.

“Our discovery can partially explain why immunotherapies have thus far only had a limited effects in AML. It’s an important step forward, but continued research and clinical trials will be needed before it can be relevant as a treatment for a patient group that is in great need of new therapies,” says Niklas Landberg, research group leader at Lund University and medical registrar in hematology at Skåne University Hospital, and one of the researchers behind the study.

The study marks a step towards more individualised cancer therapy, in which the patient’s tumour can be attacked based on its unique characteristics and defences. The work on further development and testing of the antibody will continue, with an aim to establish future clinical trials.

The team behind the study has started a spin-off company, Lead Biologics, which is now driving the commercial development of the antibody as a future medicine.

The study was carried out with funding from, among others, the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund, Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Research Council, ALF funding, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Mats Paulsson Foundation, Mrs. Berta Kamprad’s Cancer Foundation (L2CancerBridge grant at CREATE Health Cancer Center) and the Cancera Foundation.

Background: immunotherapy – a fast-growing research field Immunotherapy is a revolutionary treatment approach for different forms of cancer. Since approval was granted for the first checkpoint inhibitors, the research community has pursued answers to explain why many patients do not respond to their treatments – and how more tumours’ defence mechanisms can be broken down. New targets, such as the mechanism now discovered, pave the way for more accurate and effective immunotherapy.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Genetic map reveals influence of DNA on metabolism

2025-10-03
A new study, published today in Nature Genetics, created the largest genetic map of human metabolism, revealing new insights on the role of metabolites in health and disease and creating a blueprint for further research. Humans vary from person to person, and so does our metabolism. Yet, it is difficult to quantify precisely how much your genetic code contributes to this variability. Using data from half a million individuals through the UK Biobank, the authors examined the consequences of variation in our genetic code on blood levels of 250 small molecules including lipid levels, which are important for a healthy heart, or amino acids. The study is the result of a collaborative ...

Researchers use ultrasound holograms to influence brain networks

2025-10-03
The first picture taken of a person nowadays is usually an ultrasound scan in the womb. But the technology is capable of much more than that. Physiotherapists have long used ultrasound to heat bodily tissues, and oncological surgeons use high-intensity ultrasound – and the heat it generates inside the body – to destroy tumours.  Over the last decade, scientists have also been researching how low-intensity ultrasound can be used to influence neural activity in the brain in a targeted manner. Initial clinical trials ...

Unique videos show how trawling restrictions brings back life to the sea

2025-10-03
Trawling restrictions not only benefits fish and shellfish; anemones and corals are also becoming more common, according to a new study from the University of Gothenburg. Twenty-six years of underwater videos from the depths of the Koster Sea also show long-term changes in the ecosystem as the water becomes warmer. The marine wildlife in Kosterhavet National Park has changed rapidly in recent years. The introduction of trawling restrictions in the area for the national park during the last 25 years, brought about a change in the living conditions for the animals that live on the seabed. “Animals ...

Whooping cough can be fatal in young infants, experts warn

2025-10-03
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is on the rise and incidence now exceeds pre-pandemic numbers. While in adults and older children the cough can be bothersome and last for months, pertussis in young infants can be life-threatening. Most children under 2 months of age with pertussis in the United States are hospitalized. In a special article published in Pediatrics, experts strongly encourage vaccination, especially during pregnancy. “Pertussis symptoms are different in infants,” said leading author Caitlin Li, MD, infectious diseases specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern ...

Knee-d for excellence: New regional training hub keeps surgeons sharp for ageing population

2025-10-03
Singapore, 3 October 2025 – Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has announced the launch of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for robotic-assisted surgery, ensuring orthopaedic surgeons are equipped with knowledge of emerging technologies as the population ages and surgical needs evolve.    The Centre is established as part of a two-year strategic collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Johnson & Johnson MedTechwith an initial focus on training and research in total knee replacement.   Regional ...

The Lancet: Billions lack access to healthy diets as food systems drive climate and health crises, but sustainable, equitable solutions are within reach, says new EAT-Lancet report

2025-10-02
Building on the landmark 2019 report, the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission presents the most comprehensive scientific analysis of global food systems to date. It establishes a clear, science-based approach to provide 9.6 billion people with access to healthy diets within planetary boundaries while recognising that healthy and sustainable diets are the foundation of human rights. The report reveals that the global food system contributes to 30% of greenhouse gas emissions and is the largest driver of planetary boundary transgressions through its impacts on climate, biodiversity, freshwater consumption, and land use change.  Although there ...

Countries with highest reported levels of hearing loss have lowest use of hearing aids

2025-10-02
Countries with the highest reported levels of hearing loss also have the lowest reported use of hearing aids, finds international research published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. And men are generally more likely than women to report difficulties with their hearing, although this gender divide narrows with age, the findings show. An estimated 1.57 billion people—equivalent to 1 in 5 of the world’s population—had hearing loss in 2019. And it’s predicted that it will affect 2.45 billion people by 2050, say the researchers. Hearing loss is associated with an array of problems ...

Early medical abortion at home up to 12 weeks is safe, effective, and comparable to hospital care

2025-10-02
Early medical abortion at home up to 12 weeks of pregnancy is safe, effective, and comparable to hospital care, finds a 5 year review of cases in Scotland, where this timeframe is legally permitted, and published online in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health. It’s time to extend the current legal limit of 10 weeks to 12 weeks to enable women in the rest of the UK and Europe to choose this option, conclude the researchers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation was introduced throughout Scotland, England, and Wales to allow women to ...

New approach to gravitational wave detection opens the Milli-Hz Frontier

2025-10-02
Scientists have unveiled a new approach to detecting gravitational waves in the milli-Hertz frequency range, providing access to astrophysical and cosmological phenomena that are not detectable with current instruments.   Gravitational waves—ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein—have been observed at high frequencies by ground-based interferometers such as LIGO and Virgo, and at ultra-low frequencies by pulsar timing arrays. However, the mid-band range has remained a scientific blind spot.   Developed by researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Sussex, the new detector concept uses cutting-edge optical cavity and atomic clock technologies ...

Rice membrane extracts lithium from brines with greater speed, less waste

2025-10-02
HOUSTON – (Oct. 2, 2025) – A team of researchers at Rice University has developed a new membrane that selectively filters out lithium from brines, offering a faster, cleaner way to produce the element at the heart of nearly every rechargeable battery. According to a study published in Nature Communications, the new membrane achieved one of the highest selectivities for lithium among similar membranes while using considerably less energy. The membrane design can be adapted to target the recovery of other valuable minerals, such as cobalt and nickel, and plugs ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Hanbat National University researchers present new technique to boost solid oxide fuel cell performance

Even short school breaks affect student learning unevenly across socioeconomic backgrounds

When words matter: Language and culture shape early childhood outcomes

UBC enzyme technology clears first human test toward universal donor organs for transplantation

Birds’ vocal warnings provide new insight into the origins of language

Breakthrough results from elephant herpesvirus trial find vaccine to be safe

Final step in the biosynthesis of iridoids elucidated

New antibiotic targets IBD — and AI predicted how it would work before scientists could prove it

Glioblastomas affect much more than just the brain

Researchers uncover why mental maps fade with age

New mechanism revealed: How leukemia cells trick the immune system

Genetic map reveals influence of DNA on metabolism

Researchers use ultrasound holograms to influence brain networks

Unique videos show how trawling restrictions brings back life to the sea

Whooping cough can be fatal in young infants, experts warn

Knee-d for excellence: New regional training hub keeps surgeons sharp for ageing population

The Lancet: Billions lack access to healthy diets as food systems drive climate and health crises, but sustainable, equitable solutions are within reach, says new EAT-Lancet report

Countries with highest reported levels of hearing loss have lowest use of hearing aids

Early medical abortion at home up to 12 weeks is safe, effective, and comparable to hospital care

New approach to gravitational wave detection opens the Milli-Hz Frontier

Rice membrane extracts lithium from brines with greater speed, less waste

Exercise lowers disease risk. This researcher wants to understand how

Hurricane evacuation patterns differ based on where the storm hits

Stem Cell Reports welcomes new members to its Editorial Board

Researchers develop molecular qubits that communicate at telecom frequencies

Mayo Clinic awarded up to $40 million by ARPA-H for pioneering air safety research

People with Down syndrome have early neuroinflammation

CNIO researchers create the “human repairome”, a catalogue of DNA “scars” that will help define personalized cancer treatments

Strengthening biosecurity screening for genes that encode proteins of concern

Global wildfire disasters are growing in frequency and cost

[Press-News.org] New mechanism revealed: How leukemia cells trick the immune system