Immunotherapy for blood cancer: remote destruction of tumor cells demonstrated

The aim of immunotherapy strategies is to use cells in the patient's own immune system to destroy tumor cells. CAR T cell therapy is an immunotherapy that is effective in treating blood cancer. Around 35,000 people are affected by blood cancer each year in France, with 1.24 million cases worldwide. By closely investigating the immune cells generated during this therapy, known as CD4 T cells, scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm, in collaboration with clinicians from the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP), discovered that these cells are capable of remotely neutralizing tumor cells by producing interferon gamma (IFN-γ). This study raises new hopes for blood cancer patients with an incomplete response to CAR T cell therapy and for cancers sensitive to IFN-γ. The results were published in the journal Nature Cancer.

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