"Unlocking Cancer Treatments: From Cellular Cannibalism to Fruit Fly Breakthroughs"

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have linked the gene Rac2 to cellular cannibalism, solving a 25-year-old cellular mystery and potentially revolutionizing cancer treatment. They discovered that hyperactive Rac2 causes cells to consume neighboring cells, a process that can lead to immunodeficiency in humans. This insight has been applied to develop a new cancer treatment strategy called CAR-M, which involves programming macrophages to eat cancer cells more effectively. The team has shown that macrophages with activated Rac2 can consume cancer cells at a higher rate, especially when combined with a CAR receptor. This discovery has led to a provisional patent for the technique, known as RaceCAR-M, and is moving towards further development and clinical trials.