Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. However, these therapies do not work for all patients. Dr. Michael Dahabieh, a postdoctoral fellow at Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is studying why some immune cells become less effective and why some patients do not respond to immunotherapy.
Dr. Dahabieh’s research examines CD8 T cells, which help identify and kill abnormal cells, including cancer cells. Persistent infections or cancers can cause these T cells to lose effectiveness, a process known as exhaustion. Immunotherapies try to restore the function of these cells by blocking immune checkpoints, which are molecules that can limit immune responses.
Dr. Dahabieh recently identified a new immune checkpoint called PTGIR. Unlike other checkpoints, PTGIR interacts with a molecule called prostacyclin. His research found that removing PTGIR from T cells improved their ability to fight infections and cancer…