B-cell subtypes play essential role in immune response to melanoma

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Sep 13 2019

When it comes to further developing modern immunotherapies, cancer research has so far concentrated on T-lymphocytes. A research team led by dermatologists Johannes Griss and Stephan Wagner from MedUni Vienna's Department of Dermatology has now found that particular subtypes of these B-cells play an essential role in the immune response to melanoma. This finding could help to develop much more effective immunotherapies. The study is being published in the leading journal Nature Communications.

For several years now, the development of new immunotherapy techniques has focused on using the body's own antibodies to fight cancer. T-lymphocytes play an important role in this, since they are able to detect and destroy cancer cells. Scientific research has therefore largely concentrated on the activation of T-lymphocytes in immunotherapy. Despite great advances in this field, the current therapies are only permanently effective in less than 50% of patients.

The success of modern immunotherapies essentially depends upon the degree of inflammation in the tumor. Working in collaboration with the European Bioinformatics Institute of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, a team of researchers led by dermatologist and bioinformatician Johannes Griss and the group led by dermatologist Stephan Wagner from MedUni Vienna's Department of Dermatology has now made an important find: particular subtypes of B-lymphocytes regulate, amongst other things, the recruitment and activation of T-lymphocytes in melanoma. In this way, they are able to support immune responses against melanoma cells, thereby significantly increasing the success of immunotherapies.

Our results show that the presence of these B-cell subtypes in the tumor tissue even before treatment can predict an effective response and improved survival of melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy."

Johannes Griss, lead author, Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna

Conversely, in the absence of B-lymphocytes, modern immunotherapies are less effective.

We are now able to use this data to identify a group of patients that may especially benefit from immunotherapies. Our results also provide the basis for developing immunotherapeutic approaches that not only conserve these particular B-cell subtypes but can even activate them."

Stephan Wagner, last author, Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna