UT Southwestern Researchers Find Proteins That Could Help Fight Inflammation and Cancer

UT Southwestern Researchers Find Proteins That Could Help Fight Inflammation and Cancer: Researchers at UT Southwestern have found proteins that help reduce a potentially life-threatening response to chronic infection. The work may provide a way to control inflammation, which could lead to new medicine and can explain how cancerous cells develop resistance to chemotherapy. When a patient is experiencing chronic inflammation, the immune system can over-respond to something like the flu, causing what is called a cytokine storm, which can be life-threatening. The proteins that were identified help reduce the potentially deadly response. 'This work provides insight into the molecular components required to limit tissue damage associated with uncontrolled inflammation, such as in septic shock, and reveals how cancer cells may suppress the innate immune system during tumor genesis,' said Dr. Neal Alto, Professor of Microbiology at UT Southwestern and the study's author, via release. Removing the proteins from those with cancer has made their cancer cells more sensitive new