Researchers have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy by developing a way to grow T cells in the lab that live longer and fight cancer more effectively.

They identified flaws in traditional methods, where sugar-rich growth media caused T cells to depend on glucose and die quickly when reintroduced into the body. By supplementing the growth medium with dichloroacetate (DCA), the researchers improved the cells’ metabolism and durability, achieving better outcomes in mouse models of melanoma, with long-lasting immune protection against cancer.