Neutralise the Niche

Patients being treated for intestinal tumours can be devastated to discover that their cancer has returned. To tackle the problem of drug resistance scientists are investigating a group of non-cancer cells, collectively called a niche, surrounding treatment-resistant tumours cells. In the niche, researchers have identified some immune cells which are normally involved in inflammation. These act as a shield, protecting the tumour from another type of immune cell called killer T-cells that can eradicate cancer cells. The images show intestinal cancer cells (stained blue) grown in 3D lab culture. The bubbles represent niches while the red and green stains represent the inflammatory immune cells. On the left the cultures are untreated whereas on the right they're treated with drugs targeting the inflammatory immune cells. These drugs results in fewer tumour niches both in culture and in animal models and are a focus for treatment development.

Written by Julie Webb

Julie Webb

Writer

Julie began her career as a researcher in genetics. In 2000 she won a Wellcome Trust award for her work on a collaborative science drama, staged at the Edinburgh Festival. She now works as a freelance science writer and communicator.

• Image from work by Xi He and Linheng Li, and colleagues
• Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial – NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
• Published in Cell Reports, September 2021