After radiation treatment, dying cancer cells spit out mutated proteins into the body. Scientists now know that the immune system can detect these proteins and kill cancer in other parts of the body using these protein markers as a guide - a phenomenon that University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers are looking to harness to improve cancer treatment.
In the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the researchers report on strides made in the development of a strategy to improve the immune system’s detection of cancer proteins by using “sticky” nanoparticles that are called “antigen-capturing nanoparticles.” They believe these particles could work synergistically with immunotherapy drugs designed to boost the immune system’s response to cancer.
