A novel role of neutrophils in combating cancer, finds research
A study published in the journal Cell on March 5 2024, revealed an unexpected level of complexity within neutrophils. These cells, once considered a relatively uniform population of short-lived immune cells, now appear to possess intricate characteristics.
Using cutting-edge single-cell RNA sequencing technology, the researchers analysed individual neutrophils across a remarkable 17 different cancer types from 143 patients and revealed that neutrophils can adopt at least 10 highly specialized and distinct functional states related to inflammation, blood vessel formation, and—most excitingly—presenting antigens to activate potent cancer-killing T cells.
"We were surprised to find such intricate complexity and divergent roles embedded within neutrophils, which have been overlooked for so long as a simple population," said Prof. ZHANG Xiaoming from the Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection (SIII) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "What is especially remarkable is their newly discovered capacity to act as antigen-presenting cells, maturing and rallying T cells against cancer. In addition, the abundance of antigen-presenting neutrophils is associated with improved patient prognosis across many tumour types revealed in this study."
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