Immunotherapy Activates Unexpected Cell Death Mechanism.

Research suggests that the cell death mechanism known as ferroptosis boosts the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors. The work indicates that CD8+ T cells trigger ferroptosis in cancer cells by releasing IFNγ, which then disrupts uptake of the amino acid cystine. Further experiments in mice with ovarian tumors established that T cells can induce ferroptosis in vivo. ©2019 American Association for Cancer Research.