New cancer drugs wake up sleeping killer T cells
The frontline immune system fighters, often evaded by tumors, might now resume the attack
LOCK AND LOAD In this computational image, a ligand protein binds to precise spots (yellow) on a T cell’s receptor protein PD-1, acting like a key in a lock. This activates PD-1 to send a signal that puts the T cell to sleep, making it oblivious to cancer. Such precise modeling may help researchers create drugs that disrupt the connection — awakening T cells and making cancer “visible.”
K. BARAKAT AND M. AHMED/RECEPTORS & CLINICAL INVESTIGATION 2015