A new precision cancer treatment molecule developed by Chinese scientists redirects immune memory to attack tumours, offering a promising new direction for cancer immunotherapy.
BEIJING: Chinese researchers have developed a groundbreaking precision cancer treatment molecule that could reshape how the immune system targets tumours. Scientists from Shenzhen Bay Laboratory and Peking University reported the findings in a study published in Nature, describing a novel intratumoral vaccine strategy that overcomes key limitations of existing cancer immunotherapies.
While immune checkpoint blockade therapies have significantly improved outcomes for some cancer patients, many tumours remain resistant due to low mutational burden and a lack of neoantigens. As a result, cancer cells often evade immune detection. To address this challenge, the research team explored the potential of bystander T cells, an underutilised immune resource formed in response to previous infections such as cytomegalovirus and retained in most adults as immune memory.
The researchers designed a synthetic intratumoral vaccination chimera with a dual function. First, it irreversibly targets and degrades the PD‑L1 protein on tumour cells, removing the mechanism that suppresses immune responses. Second, it delivers a cytomegalovirus antigen epitope directly into the tumour environment. This effectively marks cancer cells with a viral signature that the immune system already recognises.
By doing so, the precision cancer treatment molecule redirects the body’s reservoir of cytomegalovirus‑specific memory T cells to identify and destroy tumour cells. In mouse models and patient‑derived tumour clusters, the molecule successfully activated T cells and demonstrated strong anti‑tumour effects, highlighting the power of harnessing immune memory against common viruses.
Chen Peng, senior investigator at Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, said the team is now developing translational molecules based on this mechanism, with the aim of advancing the technology toward future clinical trials. The findings suggest a new paradigm in cancer therapy, where past immune experiences are repurposed to fight malignant disease.
