Scientists Discover How Sneaky Tumors Hide from Our Immune System! 🕵️♂️
Hey there! Have you ever wondered how our bodies fight off illnesses? Our immune system is like a superhero team that protects us from bad guys like viruses, bacteria, and even cancer cells.
But guess what? Some cancer cells have found a clever way to hide from our immune system! 😮
A group of smart scientists in China have discovered how breast cancer tumors use a special trick to avoid being attacked by the immune system. They found out that these sneaky cancer cells make a lot of a nutrient called arginine.
What is arginine? Arginine is a type of amino acid, which is like a tiny building block that makes up proteins in our bodies. We need arginine to help our immune system work properly.
But the cancer cells have a different idea. They make extra arginine to change the way some immune cells work. These immune cells, called tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), usually help fight cancer cells.
However, when the TAMs absorb too much arginine from the cancer cells, they get tricked! They start helping the cancer instead of fighting it. 😲 They stop the special cancer-fighting cells, called CD8+ T cells, from doing their job.
This means the cancer can grow and spread without being stopped by the immune system. It’s like the cancer cells are wearing an invisibility cloak! 🧥
The good news is that the scientists found a way to break this bad cycle. By blocking the extra arginine, they were able to help the CD8+ T cells get back to fighting the cancer cells! They think that if we combine this new method with other treatments, we can make better medicines to fight cancer.
Isn’t science amazing? Maybe one day, you could be a scientist who helps find cures for diseases, too! 🔬✨
Reference(s):
Study reveals how tumors hijack key nutrient to evade immune attack
cgtn.com
