科學家發現可能有助於改善癌症治療的蛋白質
Scientists Discover Protein That May Improve Cancer Therapy
Updated at: August 10, 2026 at 12:30 AM
腫瘤學近期的突破藉由識別能夠增強人體免疫系統以對抗癌症的蛋白質，帶來了新的希望。
Recent breakthroughs in oncology are providing new hope by identifying proteins that can supercharge the body’s immune system to fight cancer.
雖然各項研究頻頻躍上頭條，但其中一項特別有前景的發現與NKG7蛋白質有關。
While various studies have made headlines, one particularly promising discovery involves the protein NKG7.
梅約醫學中心(Mayo Clinic)發表於《自然通訊》(Nature Communications)的研究指出，NKG7是CD8+T細胞的耐久性因子。
Research from the Mayo Clinic, published in Nature Communications, highlights that NKG7 acts as a durability factor for CD8+ T cells.
在腫瘤這種惡劣的環境中，免疫細胞常因耗竭而失能，但NKG7能幫助這些殺手T細胞保持功能與侵略性。
Inside the hostile environment of a tumor, immune cells often burn out, but NKG7 helps these killer T cells remain functional and aggressive.
患有浸潤性膀胱癌且表達此蛋白質的患者，存活率顯著提升。
Patients with invasive bladder cancer who expressed this protein showed significantly better survival rates.
此發現對未來的治療至關重要，例如在CAR-T細胞療法中，科學家可能會對免疫細胞進行工程改造，以使其表達更高水平的NKG7。
This discovery is vital for future treatments, such as CAR-T cell therapy, where scientists might engineer immune cells to express higher levels of NKG7.
藉由增強這些細胞的韌性，治療方式將能更有效地清除抗藥性腫瘤。
By enhancing the resilience of these cells, therapies could become more effective at clearing resistant tumors.
儘管TRAILshort和古老的C3分子等其他蛋白質因其在免疫抑制或刺激中的獨特作用也正被研究，但關注T細胞壽命的研究方向代表著重大的進步。
While other proteins like TRAILshort and the ancient C3 molecule are also being studied for their unique roles in immune suppression or stimulation, the focus on T-cell longevity represents a major step forward.
