Researchers study partial failure of immunotherapy

The teams of VUB professors Bart Neyns, Sandra Tuyaerts and Karine Breckpot will join research groups from UCL, Bordet Institute and ULB in their search for factors that explain why current immunotherapies fail in all patients. The ultimate goal is to create a new immunotherapy. Bart Neyns is also Head of the Department of Medical oncology UZ Brussel. Have you ever wondered why your immune system doesn't just attack and eliminate cancer cells? Your immune system plays a crucial role in protecting your body against infectious diseases like Covid-19, but also against cancer. T cells, the cells of our immune system, can selectively attack and eliminate cancer cells. However, cancer cells can arm themselves against an attack by T cells and thus escape the immune system. This knowledge has resulted in the development of immunotherapies: therapies that activate T cells (cancer vaccination) and/or disarm cancer cells (immune checkpoint blocking), allowing T cells to continue their attack against cancer cells.