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Cancer-fighting Communication
07 October 2014

Cancer-fighting Communication

Your immune system has two ways to protect you. Cells in the innate system take on all invaders in a generic fashion, whereas specialised cells in the adaptive system learn to recognise and eliminate otherwise evasive pathogens. Both strategies involve dendritic cells, one of which is pictured here in an artist’s rendering. Dendritic cells share information to coach the adaptive system’s cells about which pathogens or pathogen-infected cells to hunt and how to destroy them. This involves exchanging information parcels called exosomes. But there’s a problem: cancer cells can hijack these communications to weaken the immune response. Using computer models, researchers have revealed that exosome exchanges between cancer and immune cells create three different cancer states. The intermediate state, with a moderate cancer load and an immune system on high alert, could potentially provide a window for combination treatments involving alternate cycles of immune-boosting therapies and cancer-killing chemotherapy.

Written by Daniel Cossins

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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