Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) developed a novel tool in which they can detect ‘softness’ of a tumor and help inform therapeutic outcomes. The physical attributes of tumors, particularly hardness, is a persistent obstacle for cancer immunotherapy. Historically, firmness of most solid tumors correlates with the penetration of therapy and could lead to drug resistance. Scientists that developed this technology recently published their findings in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The team, led by Dr. Yingxiao Wang, details how the softness of tumors can allow them to adapt and evade the immune system and treatment. This finding is contradictory from what previous articles in the field have stated.

Wang is the Dwight C. and Hildagarde E. Baum Chair in Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Molecular Microbiology & Immunology in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and associated with the Keck School of Medicine. Collaborations with the Wang Lab developed a way to target soft stem-like cancer cells, which are extremely hard to treat. Cancer stem-cells are key drivers of tumor growth, drug resistance, and immune evasion. These cells are a major topic of interest in the Wang Lab. Wang and his team also focus their research on techniques to detect biomarkers and visualize molecular events in cells. These investigations could lead to optimal treatment delivery to the tumor site and enhancement of immunotherapy.

Researchers are using an immunotherapy known as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)- T cells, which programs T cells to specifically target the tumor. T cells are specialized immune cells tasked with identifying and eliminating disease. They are a critical component of the immune system and correlate to survival. However, in the context of cancer, they become inert and less active due to tumor-secreting molecules and proteins that dysregulate their function. As a result, scientists in the field of immuno-oncology (IO) have focused on these cells to overcome therapeutic resistance. To generate CAR-T cells, scientists take T cells from a patient and engineer them to redirect the immune response toward the tumor. The CAR-T cells are then able to identify specific proteins on the tumor, which reduce off-target cell death and limit toxicity. Unfortunately, CAR-T cells are less effective against solid tumors.