Immune system important in fight against stomach cancer

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacterial infections in the world, and leads to chronic inflammation of the stomach. While carriers are generally symptom-free, the bacterium can cause stomach ulcers and, sometimes, the development of stomach cancer. As the symptoms of stomach cancer are varied, it is often discovered at a late stage and has a very poor prognosis.

“We don’t know how the chronic inflammation caused by Helicobacter pylori affects the development of stomach cancer,” says Åsa Lindgren, a researcher from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. “So it was interesting to study how the immune system behaves towards Helicobacter pylori in the stomach.”

The team looked at how NK cells (natural killer cells – a type of immune cell) reacted to Helicobacter pylori. These cells are an important part of the immune system as they can both recognise and kill cells that are infected by viruses and bacteria as well as tumour cells.

“We found that a special type of NK cells was active against the stomach ulcer bacterium,” says Åsa Lindgren. “These NK cells produced cytokines, which are the immune system’s signal substances and act as a defence against the intruder.”

The researchers’ results suggest that NK cells can play an important role in the immune defence against Helicobacter pylori. Previous research has also shown that a high proportion of NK cells in tumour tissue has contributed to a better prognosis and longer survival for patients with stomach cancer, as these cells help to eliminate the tumour cells.

The researchers therefore believe that activation of the NK cells can play a key role in stopping tumours from developing, and that reduced NK-cell activity can increase the risk of cancer developing. Åsa Lindgren hopes that these findings can be used to develop new ways of diagnosing and treating stomach cancer.

“This would make it possible to diagnose stomach cancer at an early stage, which, in turn, could mean a better prognosis for the patients.”

The thesis has been successfully defended.

Title of the thesis: The function of natural killer cells in Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer

For more information, please contact:
Åsa Lindgren,
46 702 255953
e-mail: asa.lindgren@microbio.gu.se

Media Contact

Helena Aaberg idw

More Information:

http://www.gu.se

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors