Researchers discover how immune cells hunt down cancer around the body

Published in Nature Immunology, the researchers have developed a computational tool to identify these anti-cancer immune cells which could lead to improved, personalised immunotherapies. B cells, like the more broadly understood T cells, are part of the immune system, helping the body to fight infections as well as cancer. When a receptor on the B cell identifies a cancer cell and binds to it, the B cell undergoes changes and diversifies to be even more effective at targeting those cancer cells. This means that, after recognising cancer in one area of the body, B cells migrate to hunt down cancer at different sites around the body. The researchers then used this information to develop a computational tool to predict which B cells were most likely to successfully detect and target cancer cells.