Teddy Bear Hospital. photo by National Cancer Institute/ Unsplash
Prolonged battles with illnesses like cancer and chronic infections can push the immune system to its breaking point, leaving its fiercest warriors—T cells—too exhausted to fight. But in a groundbreaking discovery, scientists from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre have uncovered a rare and powerful ally: stem-like T cells. These elusive cells hold the secret to sustaining long-term, potent immune responses, offering new hope in the fight against relentless diseases.
The Cleveland Clinic explains that T cells are a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. They help your immune system fight germs and protect you from disease. There are two main types. Cytotoxic T cells destroy infected cells.
A study published in Science Immunology has identified the protein ID3 as a key factor in the longevity of stem-like T cells. These ID3-positive T cells possess a unique capacity for self-renewal and resistance to exhaustion, enabling them to maintain immune responses for extended periods compared to other T cells lacking ID3.
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The University of Melbourne’s Catarina Gago da Graça, PhD Candidate at the Doherty Institute, said the research highlights how ID3+ T cells hold the key to overcoming one of the biggest challenges in treating chronic diseases—immune exhaustion.
“ID3+ T cells have the remarkable ability to resist burnout and maintain a powerful immune response over time, making them particularly effective in the face of chronic infections or cancer,” said and co-first author Gago da Graça.
The research also found that certain signals in the body could increase the number of ID3+ T cells, paving the way for improved treatments like CAR T cell therapy. While CAR T therapy has been transformative in treating certain cancers, its effectiveness can wane over time due to T cell exhaustion.
Professor Ricky Johnstone, Executive Director Cancer Research at Peter Mac and co-lead author of the study, said enhancing ID3 activity could strengthen the endurance of these cells, making therapies more effective and long-lasting.
“We discovered that ID3+ T cell formation could be promoted by specific inflammatory cues, potentially offering new strategies to boost the number of immune cells that excel at fighting cancer in patients,” said Professor Johnstone. “This could lead to better treatments for cancer patients and improve clinical immunotherapy outcomes.”
