Recently, a research team led by Professor Zhang Yunjiao at the School of Medicine, South China University of Technology (SCUT), made a major scientific breakthrough in the field of metalloimmunotherapy. The related research findings were published in Science Advances under the title “Cobalt-mediated suppression of IFN-γ-JAK-STAT1 signaling reprograms IDO1-driven immunosuppression for metalloimmunotherapy”. Metalloimmunotherapy is an emerging cancer treatment, but the immunosuppressive network driven by IDO1 in the tumor microenvironment severely limits its efficacy. Therefore, reprogramming the tumor microenvironment and overcoming immune tolerance remain pressing challenges.

The team conducted research on the regulatory mechanisms of cobalt in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The study found that cobalt can directly bind to IFNGR1, suppresses the IFN-γ-JAK-STAT1 signaling axis. remodels the IDO1-driven immunosuppressive microenvironment, reverses tumor immunosuppression, and expands the application of metalloimmunotherapy.