Scientists help immune system find hidden cancer cells Cancer cells are masters at avoiding detection, but a new system developed by Yale scientists can make them stand out from the crowd and help the immune system spot and eliminate tumors that other forms of immunotherapies might miss, the researchers report Oct. 14 in the journal Nature Immunology. The new system reduced or eliminated melanoma and triple-negative breast and pancreatic tumors in mice, even those located far from the primary tumor source, the researchers report. "This is an entirely new form of immunotherapy," said Sidi Chen, assistant professor of genetics and senior author of the study. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer but existing therapies don't work on all patients or not at all against some cancers. Existing therapies sometimes fail to recognize all molecular disguises of cancer cells, rendering them less effective.

 credit: getty images  Microbiome Helps Vitamin A Regulate Immune System    The trick to the microbiome’s work with the immune system is vitamin A, say the researchers. The bacteria moderate active vitamin A levels in the intestine, protecting the microbiome from an overactive immune response. That insight may prove important for understanding and treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, says Shipra Vaishnava, an assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at Brown University. “A lot of these diseases are attributed to increased immune response or immune activation, but we’ve found a new way that bacteria in our gut can dampen the immune response,” Vaishnava says. “This research could be critical in determining therapies in the case of autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease or other inflammatory bowel diseases, as well as vitamin A deficiency.” The study appears in the journal Immunity.