A Profile of Temporal Changes in the Immune System Following Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy, therapy based on stimulation of the patient's immune system, is an essential tool for cancer treatment. The T cells, white blood cells of the immune system, recognize pathogens and the body’s own malfunctioning cells through a vast repertoire of receptors on their surface (T cells receptors - TCR). As a result of the immune system activation, change occurs in the T cells' composition, leading to an increased division of cells with specific TCRs, which later subsides. Prof. Sol Efroni's group from the Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University carried out an experiment aimed at creating a profile of the dynamics of the immune response as it occurs. The researchers used a mouse model for colorectal cancer for checking the change in the T cells' repertoire at different time points, following administration of a drug that increases the immune system activity by inhibiting a protein that protects the immune system against hyperactivation. A large amount of data obtained in this experiment would allow researchers to analyze and better understand the immune response in cancer, offering more effective treatments for the disease.

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