UW Bioengineering Robert J. Rushmer Associate Professor of Bioengineering Dr. Suzie Pun and collaborators have developed a method to target and eliminate a cancer-supporting type of immune cell, or macrophage, in mouse tumors. The method consists of a peptide that binds to and eliminates only macrophages which switch from helping the immune system to suppressing the body’s immune response to cancer, while not affecting other cells. The method may have future applications in cancer therapy. The research is published in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read more: http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/09/16/depletion-of-traitor-immune-cells-slows-cancer-growth-in-mice/