Top

New mechanism in cancer cells to disarm attacking immune cells, study reveals

November 21, 2017

Category:

A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, identified a substance Gdf-15, which is secreted by pancreatic cancer cells and shields cancerous cells from attack by immune cells known as macrophages.

The study identified that Gdf-15 may be essential for the development of early pancreatic cancer cells, and also found that a molecule pronounced N-F-kappa-B (NF-kB) helps cancer cells in the production of Gdf-15.

Gdf-15 prevents the macrophages from producing chemicals such as tumor necrosis factor and nitric oxide that are required to kill cancer cells. Ironically, the scientists found, in discovering that NF-kB in macrophages plays an essential part in producing these two chemicals.

Read More on The Medical News