By analyzing single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data from myeloid cells from 85 brain tumors, scientists from McGill University, the Broad Institute, and elsewhere found that a commonly prescribed anti-swelling drug, dexamethasone, suppresses the immune system for weeks after dosing, inhibiting its response to the cancer. The findings could open a door to more effective strategies for managing cancer-related inflammation in the brain as well as improved immunotherapies.
Full details were published in a Nature paper titled, “Programs, origins and immunomodulatory functions of myeloid cells in glioma.” In it, the researchers explain that they used single-cell and spatial data to learn how myeloid cells affect the immune system’s response to gliomas, tumors that develop in the brain or spinal cord….