ARTICLE | Discovery & Translation
Science Spotlight: Targeting VISTA to improve radiotherapy
BioCentury’s translational roundup also includes a new glycosylation enzyme, a multi-modal vaccine strategy, and nine papers from neuro companies
July 16, 2025 11:36 PM UTC
Hummingbird Bioscience Pte. Ltd. and collaborators at Stanford University identified VISTA activation on myeloid cells as a limiting factor in the effectiveness of radiotherapy for solid tumors.
Radiation therapy in 16 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients increased expression of VISTA on polymorphonuclear (PMN) and monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the blood, along with PMN-MDSC numbers. The authors showed similar findings in tumors from mouse models of HNSCC undergoing radiation therapy. ...