A groundbreaking American study has revealed that sphingolipids, a specific type of fat, play a crucial role in enabling cancer cells to evade the immune system. This discovery not only confirms long-held suspicions about the role of fats in cancer biology but also highlights the potential for existing FDA-approved drugs to enhance immune responses against cancer. The research, led by Kivanc Birsoy at Rockefeller University, indicates that sphingolipids are essential for the survival and reproduction of certain cancer cells, suggesting a new avenue for cancer treatment.
Cancer cells utilize sphingolipids to modify their communication with the immune system, effectively using these fats as a protective mechanism. This challenges previous assumptions that fats merely serve as energy sources for tumor growth. The study's findings, published in the journal Nature, demonstrate that without sphingolipids, cancer cells cannot thrive, particularly in environments with both healthy and compromised immune systems.
In laboratory tests, an FDA-approved drug used for treating Gaucher disease was shown to inhibit tumor growth in models of pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancers. The research team found that reducing sphingolipid levels disrupts the formation of lipid nanodomains, which are crucial for binding signaling molecules on cell membranes. This disruption enhances the sensitivity of cancer cells to immune responses, paving the way for new treatment strategies that could improve the efficacy of existing immunotherapies.
