Suppressing Melanoma by Using Seaweed Sugar
Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, January 2023
Moffitt Cancer Center researchers say they have identified a novel approach to increase the numbers and antitumor activities of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The team of researchers demonstrated in mice how L-fucose, a nontoxic dietary plant sugar that is enriched in red and brown seaweeds, can increase TILs, promote antitumor immunity, and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.
The study is published in Nature Cancer in a paper titled, “Fucosylation of HLA-DRB1 regulates CD4+ T cell-mediated anti-melanoma immunity and enhances immunotherapy efficacy,” and led by cancer biologist Eric Lau, PhD.
“Overall levels of L-fucose in melanoma cells decrease and how the cells use L-fucose changes during progression. However, we have found that raising L-fucose levels via dietary supplementation can suppress tumors, markedly increase TILs, and enhance the efficacy of some immunotherapies in our animal models. In humans, higher levels of L-fucose in melanomas are associated with less aggressive disease and better responses to therapy,” said Lau, who is the lead study author and assistant member of the tumor biology department at Moffitt.