"Groundbreaking Discovery: Protein on Cancer Cells Boosts Immune Response to Tumors"
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have discovered that a membrane protein called CMTM6 plays a crucial role in supporting the immune response against tumors. The protein interacts with CD58, a co-stimulatory factor that enhances T cell activation, and also stabilizes PD-L1, an inhibitory immune checkpoint molecule targeted by current immunotherapy treatments. The researchers found that loss of CMTM6 impairs T cell activation and protects cancer cells from CAR-T cell therapy. The expression of CMTM6 and CD58 in tumor cells was found to be correlated with better response to immunotherapies. The findings highlight the potential for adjusting the expression of these proteins to improve cancer immunotherapies.