By injecting gamma-interferon, a molecule known to stimulate an immune response, they were able to enhance immune activity in a particular area, the brainstem. Not only did they draw T cells to the injection site, they were able to increase expression of a protein that tells the T lymphocytes which cells to attack. The two sets of findings, made on healthy rat brains, were reported in the May Journal of Neuroimmunology and in the January Journal of Comparative Neurology , respectively. Though the reason for the difference is not clear, Phillips and Lampson believe it may have to do with the local ecology of the two areas. If substantiated, this explanation of what makes the brainstem special could provide a strategy for attacking tumors in other areas of the brain.
Brain cancers are notoriously invasive, sending out tentacle-like columns of cells.
In addition, they dispatch individual cells, each one capable of migrating and growing into a new tumor. There's no way the surgeon can go after them. And what I know as an immunologist is that's exactly what T cells are for. The researchers are currently doing experiments to see if the T cells they draw to the brainstem can actually chase and kill cancer cells. One hurdle is that tumors suppress immune activity.