Scientists Have Found a Way To Feed Immune Cells Without Fueling Cancer

UCLA researchers engineered T cells with fungal proteins so they can import cellobiose and turn it into glucose inside the cell.

In low-nutrient lab tests and mouse models, the modified immune cells stayed active longer, produced more cytokines, and killed tumors more effectively.

Some mice showed complete tumor regression, and the approach also boosted early human CAR-T cell performance.

The work, published in Cell, could help immunotherapies work better against hard-to-treat solid tumors such as lung, breast, and colorectal cancer.