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MEDTECH Could the byproduct of your workout be the next breakthrough in cancer treatment?
A study conducted by researchers at UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center introduces a novel perspective on lactate, an often-overlooked metabolic byproduct of strenuous exercise, by highlighting its potential role in enhancing cancer immunotherapies.
Key Points:
- UT Southwestern researchers discovered that lactate, produced by cells during strenuous exercise, could rejuvenate immune cells to combat cancer.
- Sodium lactate was found to stimulate the activity of stem-like CD8+ T cells, thus promoting an anti-tumor effect.
- Tumor-bearing mice treated with sodium lactate exhibited slowed tumor growth and increased survival rate, an effect dependent on the presence of T cells.
- The combination of lactate and anti-PD-1 therapy resulted in a survival rate of 50% in mice, outperforming the control group.
- Notably, glucose, another nutrient utilized by cancer cells, did not amplify the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy.
Additional Points:
- The study was co-led by Professors Jinming Gao, Baran Sumer, Bo Li, and postdoctoral fellow Qiang Feng.
- The researchers used three mouse tumor models to explore potential clinical applications.
- The research team plans further investigation on lactate versus lactic acid effects on different immune cell types.
Conclusion:
- The study’s findings could potentially open new avenues for enhancing the therapeutic outcomes of immune checkpoint blockade, T-cell vaccine, and adoptive T-cell transfer therapy using lactate.
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“As a more direct implementation of lactate, the inclusion of lactate in ex vivo T-cell expansion may benefit CAR –T-cell therapy.”
Jinming Gao, PhD
