Source: docwirenews, June 2025
A new study in MedComm Oncology found that ATP triggers adenosine phosphate, which may be important for the immune system in battling the deadliest skin cancers and melanoma.
The research, which included scientists from Central South University and Washington University in St. Louis, shows that a group of receptors called purinergic P2 receptors (P2Rs) influence how the tumor environment affects patients’ response to immunotherapy.
Scientists widely recognize ATP for powering cells, but it is also used as a signaling molecule in tumors. When cancer cells release ATP during stressful situations, it sends signals that may either decrease or increase the immune system, depending on the type of processing it goes through.