Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a novel type of immune cell, called the stem-like CD4 T cell, that plays a pivotal role in anti-tumor immunity. The pre-clinical findings, published in Nature , highlight the potential to activate these cells to fight tumors more effectively, offering new hope for broader treatment success, particularly in patients with cancer that is unresponsive to current immunotherapies. Led by Haydn T.
Kissick, Ph.D., researcher in the Cancer Immunology Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute and assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Emory University School of Medicine, the study reveals that these stem-like CD4 T cells reside in the lymph nodes near tumors.
While capable of driving a powerful anti-tumor response, these cells often remain inactive, limiting the immune system 's response to the tumor. The stem-like CD4 T cells have the ability to renew themselves and transform into different immune cell types. These cells are marked by two specific proteins, PD1 and TCF1, which help determine their behavior, including self-renewal and regulation.
In lab models, activating these cells made a common immunotherapy treatment called PD1 blockade more effective against cancer. "In around 10% of patients where the stem-like CD4 cell is active, there is a far more vigorous immune response to the cancer," says Kissick. "These patients survive longer after surgery and are much more likely to respond to ch.