UT Southwestern Study Reveals Cancer Cells Create Acid Wall to Deter Immune Response

(from left to right) Zachary Bennett, Ph.D., Jinming Gao, Ph.D., Anthony Grichuk, B.S., Baran Sumer, M.D., and Qiang Feng, Ph.D., are studying the mechanisms involved with the polarized acidity of cancer cells.

UT Southwestern researchers have discovered that cancer cells release a highly concentrated level of acid, forming an "acid wall" around tumors. This acidic environment could hinder immune cell attacks on cancer. Led by Dr. Jinming Gao, the study suggests new approaches to cancer treatment by targeting the acidic tumor environment. Their findings, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, also highlight the effectiveness of nanoparticles like pegsitacianine in detecting acidic conditions within tumors, aiding in cancer surgery. Pegsitacianine's success has led to FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation, accelerating its development.