Scientists find way to help ‘exhausted’ white blood cells
The discovery of a gene that wears out white blood cells could pave the way to boosting the immune system as it battles cancer.
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While it is known that T Lymphocyte white blood cells become exhausted during prolonged exposure to tumours, the exact cause of this phenomenon has only just been discovered.
Researchers at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel have identified the cause as gene SNX9.
They found that T Lymphocyte cells remained more effective against tumours for longer when the gene was deactivated using CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors.
“This can be important in situations where every hour counts in the fight against the disease,” said lead author Marcel Trefny.
The findings could have a profound impact on the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments, the researchers said in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications.
But before this can be implemented, scientists must first test for any adverse side-effects when they switch off gene SNX9.
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