The results of our scientists' work have been published in Cancer Research journal.

Dr. Magdalena Winiarska's team discovered a new way in which tumors defend themselves against the immune system—by using ammonia as a weapon. This byproduct of cancer cell metabolism accumulates in the tumor microenvironment and inhibits the activity of NK cells and T cells making them less effective at eliminating cancer cells.

Key findings:

➡️ Ammonia is secreted by cancer cells and accumulates in the tumor microenvironment, inhibiting the antitumor activity of NK cells and T cells

➡️ Ammonia reduces the level of perforin, a key protein responsible for destroying cancer cells by the immune system.

➡️ This highlights ammonia’s role as a significant barrier to the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy, including therapies based on monoclonal antibodies, CAR-T, and CAR-NK cells.

➡️ Zrozumienie tego mechanizmu otwiera nowe drogi do opracowania innowacyjnych terapii przeciwnowotworowych. 

The research was conducted as part of the “Searching for novel strategies improving cancer immunotherapy (STIMUNO)” ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). The first authors of the paper are Dr. Joanna Domagała (Medical University of Warsaw) and Dr. Tomasz Grzywa (IMDIK, currently at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA). The project involved collaboration with institutions in Poland and abroad, including the Medical University of Warsaw, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the International Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Warsaw, the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Germany, and the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

For more details on this discovery, visit Cancer Research