ATLANTA, April 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests increasing a blood pressure-regulating enzyme in mice enhances the immune system's ability to sense tumor growth.
Emory University School of Medicine researchers engineered mice to make more angiotensin-converting enzymes in white blood cells called macrophages. When that occurred, the mice could more effectively limit the growth of injected tumors.
Scientists said the enzyme works by "trimming" small bits of protein that originate from the tumors, allowing the immune system to identify those tumors and mount a response more efficiently.
The study's senior author, Dr. Kenneth Bernstein, said the findings suggest a strategy for amplifying immune system function in humans.
"We think we've discovered a means of tweaking the immune response by modifying the process of antigen presentation," Bernstein said, suggesting physicians might be able to enhance a cancer patient's ability to resist a tumor by removing his or her white blood cells, boosting their production of angiotensin-converting enzyme and re-infusing them.
The study is reported online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
--
Copyright 2008 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
--
