Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have found a way to fight cancer more effectively. The team focuses on a specific protein called SRC-3 and has managed to turn “cold” tumors, which usually hide from the immune system, into “hot” targets that the body can actually attack.

Back in 2023, the late Dr. Bert O’Malley and his team discovered that removing this SRC-3 gene from certain immune cells, known as regulatory T cells (Tregs), changed their behavior. Normally, these cells can accidentally help a tumor hide. However, without SRC-3, they do the opposite and march into the tumor and call for backup.

Fighting Tough Cancers

The team’s latest research, published in OncoImmunology, shows that this method works on some of the hardest cancers to treat, including glioblastoma (a brain cancer), melanoma, and lung cancer.

In the case of glioblastoma, the results in animal models were striking. While the control group didn’t survive past 41 days, the mice treated with the modified cells saw their tumors disappear and survived the entire study period.

“Moreover, we detected markedly increased infiltration of immune T cells in glioblastoma tissues from SRC-3 KO mice, indicating active immunological tumor attack,” said Dr. Sang Jun Han, the study’s first author. “This result demonstrates that SRC-3 KO Tregs convert the glioblastoma environment from one lacking tumor-fighting cells to one actively battling for its eradication.”

Future Treatments

The researchers found similar success with melanoma and lung cancer. In the lung cancer tests, 60% of the modified mice saw their tumors clear completely and stayed healthy long-term.

One of the biggest wins is how the modified cells change the area around the tumor. Instead of the therapy just attacking once, it seems to create an environment that keeps the cancer from coming back without the harsh side effects usually seen in traditional treatments.

“Lacking SRC-3 allowed Tregs to trigger an anti-cancer response that eradicated tumors without the typical side effects observed with other therapies and appeared to confer long-lasting protection against recurrence,” explained co-author Dr. David Lonard.

The team is now looking at how to bring this approach to human patients. Dr. Han added, “SRC-3 is a promising therapeutic target for next-generation cancer immunotherapy.”