Melanoma spread in mice varies by age and gamma delta T cells
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Apr 29
Melanoma spread in mice varies by age and gamma delta T cells
11 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Apr 29
Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers told the AACR meeting that spread was lowest in young mice, highest in middle-aged mice, then fell again in very old mice.
Middle-aged mice had fewer gamma delta T cells, and tumours spread more to the lungs and liver; blocking immune-suppressing signals reduced metastasis only in that group.
The study highlights that fewer than 10% of experiments use aged animals, despite most cancer patients being older, and Fox Chase has created aged mouse colonies to lower research barriers.
Cancer risk rises with age, but the oldest mice show surprising resistance. Can we harness their biological secret for new therapies?
If a mid-life immune slump helps cancer spread, can we develop therapies to reverse this age-related vulnerability?