Discovery of a 'hidden immune team' that secretly supports mRNA cancer vaccines

Explanation

mRNA vaccines work by having the body produce a fragment of a cancer protein, which teaches immune cells called T cells their attack target. Research at Washington University in St. Louis found that even without the immune cell (cDC1) previously thought to act as the command center, another type of cell (cDC2) can indirectly receive the information and activate T cells. This advance in understanding how the two cell types cooperate to generate a stronger anti-tumor immune response is expected to lead to improved vaccines.