🔬 A recent study published by Dr. Christa E. Muller at the University of Bonn in Germany, in collaboration with Dr. Jean Sévigny and Julie Pelletier, looks at a promising candidate for cancer immunotherapy.
🌟 Herparin, a well-known anti-coagulant, has recently been found to ameliorate outcomes in cancer patients. This study has discovered that heparins can act as potent and highly selective inhibitors of the enzyme NPP1. By doing so, they blocked adenosine production, preventing the transformation of T cells into immunosuppressive Treg cells!
🧐 Why is this important? Dysregulated Treg cells have frequently been linked to the development of cancer and autoimmune diseases. This study paves the way for a potential strategy to prevent this detrimental phenotype. 🚀
To learn more: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1173634/full