A major challenge in cancer #immunotherapy is #Tcell exhaustion, when the immune system's cancer-fighting cells become too fatigued to keep attacking tumors. New research from the lab of Dr. @SantoshVardhana at MSK has identified a key signaling molecule, #MEK, that helps drive this exhaustion. The findings suggest that blocking MEK could help T cells stay active longer and enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy. “A tragic part of T cell exhaustion is that the immunotherapy seems to be working for patients, and then it fades,” says Dr. Vardhana, an MSK physician-scientist who treats people with lymphoma. “Many of them experience a brief wisp of promise only to have it taken away.” Even more promising is that FDA-approved MEK inhibitors already exist, potentially accelerating the path to clinical testing and improved patient outcomes. “We’re excited about applying this finding to enhance multiple forms of immunotherapy,” Dr. Vardhana says. Read more about how this insight into T cell exhaustion could lead to new ways to boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy: bit.ly/4wYI23R

What do cancer cells eat? That exact question is the focus of the lab of MSK biologist Dr. Lydia Finley. At its most fundamental level, cancer is a disease of cells doing things they’re not supposed to do, she says. Dr. Finley and her fellow researchers study cell metabolism, aka how cells convert nutrients into the various molecules that they need to function. “In simple terms, it’s how cells use food to grow,” she says. “And without access to the right food, cancer cells won’t be able to survive.” By shedding new light on fundamental biology, the researchers aim to find new strategies that could work against cancer. “Many of the drugs we use against cancer target fundamental processes in cells that have gone haywire — affecting how they function, how they grow, how they stay alive,” Dr. Finley says. “So we have to know, in great detail, how these processes work if we want to develop new therapies.” Read more: bit.ly/3Rbdug4