A new cancer treatment is being trialled in the United States thanks to pioneering work being done by Queensland researchers, according to findings published in the journal Cancer Discovery yesterday.
The head of QIMR’s Immunology Department, Professor Mark Smyth, said the method had very good results in mice.
Professor Smyth said because their method focuses on the ‘upsteam’ part of the process, it could potentially work well alongside current immunotherapies that target ‘downstream’ once the adenosine as accumulated.
“The antibody prevents the enzyme from hydrolyzing ATP, so you get an accumulation of ATP,” said Professor Smyth.