The lab of David Weiner, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and colleagues report in Cancer Research this week that the protein IL-33 boosts the immune system of a human papilloma virus animal model of cancer. IL-33 is a cytokine, a small protein that signals immune cells such as T cells to travel to a site of infection or injury. The results of the study "Alarmin IL-33 acts as an immunoadjuvant to enhance antigen-specific tumor immunity" support the development of IL-33 isoforms as adjuvants in vaccinations against pathogens, including in the context of antitumor immunotherapy.

Read the Department of communications news release.