This finding promises to open a new path in the treatment of this type of aggressive canceracquaintance like triple negative breast cancerby targeting the molecular mechanisms that facilitate tumor progression.
The molecular bridges of cancer: a strategy for tumor survival
In the style of a tactic strategic wartriple-negative breast cancer tumors build “molecular bridges” in their immediate environment, tricking the immune system into not attacking them. Researchers from Professor Idit Shachar’s laboratory have shown that these bridges help the tumor to strengthen its survival. This type of cancerwhich is difficult to treat due to its resistance and its ability to evade the immune system, is a challenging enemy in the oncological field.
The results of this study, published in Cell Reportsdetail how cancer cells send signals to prompt nearby immune cells to form these “bridges.” This blocks the immune response, facilitating tumor growth. By blocking the formation of these connections, the antibody developed by the Weizmann scientists restores the immune system’s ability to attack cancermanaging to inhibit its progress in preclinical studies carried out in mice.
Breast cancer and its environment: a complex enemy
For a long time, cancer treatments focused on killing cancer cells directly, but recent research indicates that it is crucial to consider the microenvironment surrounding the tumor. In a previous study, Weizmann’s team had identified that certain types of blood cancer created similar bridges between cells, using a protein called CD84 (SLAMF5). This protein allows cancer cells to bind to supporting immune cells, helping the tumor survive and proliferate.
The collaboration between Weizmann and City of Hope
Studying the most aggressive type of breast cancer, researchers found elevated levels of CD84 in the tumor microenvironment. This discovery was possible thanks to the collaboration with the research center City of Hope in California, one of the largest cancer centers in the United States. El doctor Steven Rosenvice president of City of Hope, proposed studying samples from patients with triple-negative breast cancer, a type of cancer that has very evasive characteristics and, to date, has no effective treatment.
Unlike other types of cancer, triple negative breast cancer does not have external characteristics that allow it to be easily identified. Thus, the researchers explored the possibility of focusing the treatment on their supporting microenvironment, instead of on the cancer cells themselves, as an innovative and more effective alternative.
The role of CD84 in the tumor microenvironment
Studies in Shachar’s lab, led by doctoral student Stav Rabani, revealed that tumors from patients with triple-negative breast cancer have abnormally high levels of CD84. When studying these tumors in mice genetically modified to not express this protein, they observed that they developed significantly smaller tumors.
This key finding prompted the researchers to test the previously developed antibody, which had demonstrated its ability to block molecular bridges in blood cancer. Tests on mice with breast cancer showed that Injections of the antibody, given twice a week, significantly slowed tumor growth and, in some cases, they achieved a complete recovery.
Immune cells and the cancer evasion strategy
CD84 molecular bridges promote the accumulation of immunosuppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment. This allows the cancer to evade the immune response and continue to grow unhindered. In this sense, regulatory B cells play an important role: these bridges cause B cells to produce a suppressor protein that stops the activity of T cells, responsible for attacking cancer. When this protein is released into the tumor microenvironment, it affects T cells and nullifies their ability to destroy cancer cells.
A treatment with potential for personalization
Professor Shachar and her team are optimistic about the potential of this antibody, as by targeting cells that express high levels of CD84, it opens up new possibilities for the treatment of a variety of tumors, not just those in which the protein CD84 is directly involved. This innovation is particularly relevant in the era of personalized medicinewhere each treatment seeks to adapt to the individual characteristics of each patient.
Shachar emphasizes that most cells in a healthy organism do not have high levels of CD84, which makes this antibody a specific and less invasive tool. Unlike other treatments, such as chemotherapy, which affects both healthy and cancerous cells, this approach seeks to exclusively affect the tumor microenvironment, thus minimizing side effects.
New perspectives in cancer research
This advance has captured the interest of several experts in immunology and molecular oncology. Prominent figures such as Professor Emine Gulsen GunesDr. Martin Gunes, Dr. Aimin Li and Professor Raju Pillai of City of Hope, as well as Bianca Pellegrino, Bar Lampert and Dr. Keren David of the Weizmann Institute.
By blocking these molecular bridges, scientists open an innovative horizon in the fight against breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and complex diseases to treat. Research continues, but the team’s findings offer a ray of hope for future therapies against these types of tumors and other cancer variants that use similar mechanisms to evade the immune system.
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