New analysis led by Irish scientists has uncovered how lipid-rich fluid within the stomach, referred to as ascites, performs a central function in weakening the physique’s immune response in superior ovarian most cancers. The findings supply new insights into immune suppression in ovarian most cancers and open promising avenues for future immunotherapy approaches.
Over 70% of sufferers with ovarian most cancers are identified at an superior stage, typically presenting with giant volumes of ascites. This ascites fluid not solely helps the unfold of most cancers all through the belly cavity but in addition considerably impairs the physique’s immune defenses.
Understanding how ascites impacts the immune system is necessary for growing higher remedies that use the immune system to battle most cancers.
On this examine, researchers from Trinity School Dublin and College School Dublin explored how ascites disrupts immune cell operate, with a selected concentrate on pure killer (NK) cells and T cells, that are key gamers within the physique’s means to eradicate tumors.
By analyzing the contents of ascites fluid from ovarian most cancers sufferers, the group recognized a gaggle of fats molecules known as phospholipids as key drivers of this immune dysfunction.
Dr. Karen Slattery, Analysis Fellow on the Trinity Translational Medication Institute, is the primary creator of the analysis article revealed in Science Immunology.
She stated, “We discovered that these lipids intervene with NK cell metabolism and suppress their means to kill most cancers cells. Crucially, we additionally found that blocking the uptake of those phospholipids into NK cells utilizing a selected receptor blocker can restore their anti-tumor exercise, which presents a compelling new goal for therapeutic intervention.”
“This work provides a important piece to the puzzle of why ovarian most cancers is so aggressive and has such poor outcomes. Whereas the immune system is of course outfitted to detect and destroy most cancers cells, this operate is switched off in lots of people with ovarian most cancers, and we now know that that is partly as a result of fat-rich surroundings created by ascites.”
Prof. Lydia Lynch, previously based mostly in Trinity and now in Princeton College, is the senior creator of the analysis article.
She stated, “This examine marks a big development in ovarian most cancers analysis, figuring out a brand new mechanism underpinning immune failure and laying the inspiration for brand spanking new therapies that might restore immune operate in these sufferers.
“By focusing on the fat-induced suppression of immune cells, future remedies may empower the physique’s personal immune defenses to battle again and, in doing so, enhance outcomes for ovarian most cancers sufferers.”
Extra data:
Karen Slattery et al, Uptake of lipids from ascites drives NK cell metabolic dysfunction in ovarian most cancers, Science Immunology (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adr4795. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.adr4795
Quotation:
Fats-rich fluid discovered to gasoline immune failure in ovarian most cancers (2025, Might 9)
retrieved 9 Might 2025
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