Researchers have discovered new “recipes” for reprogramming cells that could help fight cancer.

An international research team led by the University of Coimbra (UC) and Lund University (Sweden) has identified new "recipes" for reprogramming cellular models and converting them into different subtypes of dendritic cells—immune system cells that, by identifying and capturing threats, play a key role in disease response. Scientists believe this discovery could pave the way for more effective immunotherapy treatments, tailored to each patient and type of cancer, and even create strategies to combat other diseases, such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Researchers have identified two new combinations of three factors that regulate cell identity. "These combinations act as 'recipes' for converting a cell into another cell type," explains Carlos-Filipe Pereira, a researcher at the UC Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC-UC) and the Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CiBB). "This knowledge could bring us closer to more effective immunotherapies, helping to reduce the likelihood of therapeutic failure and accelerate the development of new strategies against cancer," emphasizes Carlos-Filipe Pereira.

In addition to cancer treatment, this study may also contribute to targeted cellular reprogramming for other diseases, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.