Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DChra0zuq0F/ Immunotherapy could help T lymphocytes eradicate cancer cells not only by boosting their immune reactivity but also by eliminating the cancer cell waste products that that make these killer cells sleepy.  So report University of Pittsburgh immunologists in the journal Nature Immunology. As cancer cells grow and multiply, they release the metabolic product lactic acid.  When this byproduct contacts killer T cells, it saps them of the energy they need to effectively cripple and kill cancer cells.  Lactic acid requires a transport protein MCT11 to enter T cells.  Blocking MCT11 activity keeps lactic acid out of the white cells and allows them to more effectively fight the cancer at least in mice. If blocking this lactic acid transporter turns out to energize human T cells in their fight against cancer, we may see it deployed in the battle against human cancer….. someday soon. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-024-01999-3 #tcells #killercells #lacticac