UCF Scientists Find New Way to Fight Cancer With T Cells

Scientists at the University of Central Florida just unlocked a new way to supercharge the body's natural cancer-fighting abilities. Their breakthrough focuses on a tiny molecule inside immune cells that researchers have largely ignored until now.

The team, led by assistant professor Hung Nguyen at UCF's College of Medicine, discovered how to modify transfer RNA (tRNA) inside T cells. These are the white blood cells that serve as the body's security system, hunting down and destroying infections and cancer.

Think of tRNA as the construction worker inside cells, building proteins that give them energy to function. By chemically tweaking these molecules, Nguyen's team found they could expand what T cells can do.

The discovery happened somewhat by chance. Nguyen's lab was studying how diet affects cancer patients' immune responses when they stumbled onto something bigger in the T cell's powerhouse, the mitochondria.

"We examined the mitochondria of the T cell, and we kept looking at all the different layers and targets and then we arrived at the tRNA," Nguyen says. His team became the first scientists ever to test modifying this particular type of tRNA in T cells.

The research is still early, but the team has already identified ways to modify T cells to target melanoma, colon cancer, and lupus. They used cutting-edge technology called liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to separate and measure thousands of molecules at once.

Studying tRNA is tricky because the molecules are incredibly short and densely packed. The advanced equipment made it possible to see how everything worked at a molecular level.

The Ripple Effect

This research could transform how doctors treat multiple diseases at once. T cells already play a starring role in modern medicine, from vaccines to cancer immunotherapy. Understanding how to fine-tune them through tRNA modification could make these treatments more effective and expand them to new conditions.

Biomedical sciences Ph.D. candidate Cuong Pham, the study's first author, explains the significance: "We still do not fully understand all the molecular mechanisms that determine how T cells become activated to respond. Our review brings together emerging evidence showing that tRNA modifications can help support and regulate these responses."

The findings, published in the journal Trends Open, represent years of work by Nguyen's lab team. UCF recognized his potential impact with a "Reach for the Stars" award in 2024 for early career researchers.

The next steps involve deeper testing to understand exactly how tRNA modifications can be controlled and applied to specific diseases. Each discovery brings medicine closer to treatments that work with the body's natural defenses rather than against them.

For patients battling cancer and autoimmune diseases, this research offers something invaluable: a new front in the fight.