October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and at the Weizmann Institute of Science, finding ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat all types of cancer is a key priority all year long. More than 50 research groups are working across campus to turn basic science into powerful diagnostic tools, drugs, and therapies to fight cancer and win.
In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy and has revolutionized modern oncology. When this approach succeeds, it does so by harnessing the body’s immune system to overwhelm the cancer. Yet despite the therapy’s promise, some patients fail to respond, and others respond initially but then ultimately relapse.
A recent study from the Weizmann Institute suggests that the solution to this dilemma may lie within the tumor’s own defenses. The study focused on macrophages, which are large, versatile cells that perform essential functions throughout the body. In the tumor microenvironment, however, these cells often begin collaborating with cancer. “For years we have known that in cancer, macrophages can be both the problem and the solution,” said Prof. Ido Amit, who directs Weizmann’s Immunotherapy Research Center. “Tumors hijack them to suppress immune responses and promote their own growth. Our goal has been to re-educate these cells rather than remove them.”
Earlier studies from Amit’s team identified a subgroup of macrophages that are involved in suppressing immune activity. Their defining feature is the high expression of a receptor called TREM2, which coordinates their anti-immune behavior. Patients whose tumors contain these particular macrophages tend not to respond well to treatment.
In the new study, scientists from Prof. Amit’s lab designed biological molecules intended to guide these macrophages back on track, using a new type of antibody that awakens a patient’s anti-tumor immunity by simultaneously blocking TREM2-expressing macrophages and prompting other immune cells to attack the cancer.
Early data suggest these antibodies act synergistically with checkpoint inhibitors, amplifying the overall immune response. The findings outline a potential blueprint for a new generation of safe, programmable immunotherapies capable of overcoming resistance across a broad range of tumors, including breast cancer.