A little‑known group of hard-to-find immune cells could help transform cancer treatment, scientists at the University of Manchester’s Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, have found.
Their discovery, published in the world leading journal Immunity on 04/08/26, centers on activated dendritic cells, a specialized population of immune cells that orchestrate the body’s attack on cancer.
To make the discovery, the researchers developed the first mouse models capable of specifically labelling or removing activated dendritic cells.
This allowed them to determine exactly how activated dendritic cells contribute to anti-cancer immunity.
The models are expected to accelerate research into activated dendritic cells across cancer, infections and autoimmune diseases.
Until now, scientists have struggled to understand precisely how activated dendritic cells contribute to anti-cancer immunity because suitable models did not exist.
Using the new models, the team showed that activated dendritic cells are indispensable for effective anti-cancer immune responses.
Without them, cancer-killing T cells could neither be efficiently activated nor maintain their strength once inside tumours.
As a result, both spontaneous immune control of cancer and the efficacy of immunotherapy were impaired.
Modern immunotherapies rely on strong and coordinated immune responses, yet many people still do not benefit from these treatments.”
Dr. Maria Koufaki, Study First Author, University of Manchester
“If we can find ways to boost activated dendritic cells, we may be able to strengthen the immune system’s response to cancer and help more patients benefit from immunotherapy, including some whose cancers currently resist treatment.”
Senior author Prof Santiago Zelenay said: “Activated dendritic cells do not just launch the anti-tumour immune responses, they are also essential for sustaining them within the tumour itself.
This changes how we think about their role and opens up new opportunities to improve cancer immunotherapy.”
The work was funded by Cancer Research UK, with additional support from the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Italian Association for Cancer Research UK.
Research Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, Dr Marianne Baker, said: "Immunotherapies that harness our immune system to beat cancer are saving lives, but we don't yet understand why they work for some people and not others.
“The models developed as part of this study could help scientists unlock ways to boost these revolutionary treatments via dendritic cells, a type of immune cell.
“We need more research to get there, but this work could help to solve unanswered questions in cancer immunotherapy and beyond."
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