我國科學家找到腫瘤免疫治療潛在新途徑

Chinese scientists have discovered a protein called FBXO38 that affects the body's antitumor immunity, providing possible new insight into cancer immunotherapy.

近日，中國科學家發現了一種名爲FBXO38、影響人體抗腫瘤免疫功能的蛋白質，爲癌症免疫治療提供了可能的新視角。

In vitro studies by a group of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology have shown that a fairly low amount of FBXO38 leads to the accumulation of more PD-1 than the body requires. PD-1 is a molecule that helps keep the body's immune responses in check.

中國科學院生物化學與細胞生物學研究所的一組研究人員進行的體外研究表明，相當低的FBXO38含量會導致超過人體所需的PD-1的積累。而PD-1是一種有助於抑制機體免疫反應的分子。

Scientists found out many years ago that tumor cells often multiply and develop by finding ways to over-activate PD-1, which in turn impairs the body's ability to destroy tumor cells.

許多年前，科學家們就發現，腫瘤細胞常常通過尋找過於活躍的PD-1的方法來增殖和發展，而PD-1反過來又損害了人體破壞腫瘤細胞的能力。

The Chinese research paper, which took seven years to complete, was published on the website of British scientific journal Nature last Thursday.

這篇耗時七年完成的中國研究論文於上週四發表在英國科學雜誌《自然》的網站上。

The scientists also found that an FDA-approved drug called IL-2, which is used to treat skin and kidney cancers, can boost the levels of FBXO38 in the tumor microenvironment to improve the effectiveness of killing cancer cells.

科學家們還發現，FDA批准的一種名爲IL-2的用於治療皮膚癌和腎癌的藥物，可以提高腫瘤微環境中FBXO38的水平，從而提高殺死癌細胞的有效性。

However, this drug has not been widely used for its obvious side effects, including vascular leakage and inflammation, the researchers said.

不過研究人員稱，由於其副作用明顯，包括血管滲漏和炎症，這種藥物還沒有被廣泛使用。

"One possible approach in clinical application might be optimizing the form of the drug and its dosage in the future and exploring its combined use with other therapies," said Xu Chenqi, the lead researcher.

首席研究員許琛琦表示：“在臨牀應用中，一種可能的方法可能是在未來優化藥物的形式和劑量，並探索它與其他療法的聯合使用。”