In cancer treatment, immunotherapy helps the patient’s immune system fight cancer, for example through better recognition of the cancer cells, and it has proven effective in various types of cancer.

T-cells play a central role in eliminating tumors and are the major target for cancer immunotherapies. Hematological cancers, however, present with a limited number of cancer-specific T-cells compared to solid tumors, which is why immunotherapy has not previously been efficient against hematological cancers.

An additional reservoir of cancer-specific T-cells

A research team headed by Professor Sine Reker Hadrup, DTU Health Tech, now show that T-cell antigens derived from human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in patients with hematological malignancies can be used as an alternative source of cancer-specific antigens potentially targeted for cancer immunotherapies.

“Our study show large-scale activation of HERVs in hematological cancers and the T-cells of the immune system specifically recognize antigens derived from such HERVs. We believe that our finding of HERV-specific T-cells may have substantial therapeutic implication, as this provides an additional reservoir of cancer-specific T cells that can be targeted by ongoing immunotherapy approaches”, Assistant Professor Sunil Kumar Saini says.

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