Double hit on melanoma unlocks barrier to immunotherapy

Researchers at EPFL and UNIL have discovered a dangerous liaison between immune cells that limits the efficacy of immunotherapy in melanoma. But they also found a way to disrupt it. Immunotherapies are treatments that stimulate a patient's immune cells to attack the tumor. They can be very effective in melanoma - a common and aggressive form of skin tumor - but still fail in the majority of the patients. To address this, researchers are trying to identify the factors that enable successful immunotherapy, as well as those that may limit it. The ultimate goal is to open new avenues for immunotherapies that are more broadly effective in melanoma, and potentially other cancer types. Certain immune cells, called CD8 T cells (or cytotoxic T lymphocytes), can recognize and kill melanoma cells, thus have the potential to eradicate the tumor.