Immunotherapy
Bile acids hinder liver cancer immunotherapy, supplement may help
Scientists at the Salk Institute have found that certain bile acids in the liver suppress immune cells, reducing the effectiveness of immunotherapy for liver cancer. Supplementing with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) reversed this effect in mice, shrinking tumors. UDCA, already approved for other liver conditions, could soon enter clinical trials for cancer treatment.
Weaponised CAR T-cell therapy eradicates prostate tumours in mice
Researchers have developed a modified CAR T-cell therapy that completely eliminated large solid prostate tumours in mice, offering hope for treating solid cancers in humans. The approach localises immune-stimulating proteins to tumours, avoiding damage to healthy tissues. Clinical trials could begin within two years.
COVID mRNA vaccine boosts survival in advanced cancer patients
A new study shows that cancer patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived significantly longer than those who did not. Researchers from the University of Florida and MD Anderson Cancer Center presented the findings at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin. The results suggest the vaccine acts as a nonspecific immune booster, potentially revolutionizing cancer treatment.
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines linked to longer survival in some lung and skin cancer patients on immunotherapy
Heather Vogel Fact checked
A large retrospective study from the University of Florida and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published in Nature, reports that patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer or metastatic melanoma lived significantly longer if they received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 mRNA shot within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint inhibitors. The authors stress the findings are observational and will require confirmation in randomized trials.
MIT engineers stealth CAR-NK cells for cancer therapy
Scientists from MIT and Harvard have developed engineered CAR-NK immune cells that evade the body's defenses to target cancer effectively. This advancement could enable off-the-shelf treatments available immediately after diagnosis, bypassing weeks of personalized cell production. The cells showed strong results in mouse tests, destroying most lymphoma cells without triggering severe side effects.