A ‘danger receptor’ that may kick-start an immune reaction to cancer in the body has been found by UK researchers. It picks up signs of cell death caused by injury or tumours and mobilises the body’s defences, Nature reports. The finding may explain why some tumour-killing drugs partly work by setting off an immune response. Better understanding of the receptor could help develop cancer treatments that harness the immune system, the London Research Institute team said. Cell death is a normal process in the body which keeps growth and repair ticking over and keeps tissue healthy. But sometimes there is an abnormal type of cell death called necrosis. It has been thought for many years that the body somehow senses this abnormal cell death and sets off an immune reaction. From an evolutionary point of view this would make sense as injury puts the body at risk of infection and an immune response would be a sensible precaution. However, until now no receptor capable of detecting this abnormal cell death had been found. The researchers discovered that the DNGR-1 receptor on a type of immune cell called a dendritic cell mobilises […]