Researchers have discovered a way to make the immune system’s T cells significantly more effective at fighting cancer. By blocking a protein called Ant2, they were able to reprogram how these cells consume and generate energy—essentially rewiring their internal power supply.

This shift makes T cells more active, resilient, and better at attacking tumors. The findings open the door to new treatments that could strengthen the body’s own immune response, offering a smarter, more targeted approach to cancer therapy.

Led by Ph.D. student Omri Yosef and Prof. Michael Berger from the Faculty of Medicine at Hebrew University, in collaboration with Prof. Magdalena Huber of Philipps University of Marburg and Prof. Eyal Gottlieb of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the international team discovered that fine-tuning immune cells’ metabolism dramatically improves their ability to destroy cancer.