Current immunotherapies often struggle against hard-to-treat tumors with low mutation rates and high variability.

They are hard to target effectively, but new research published in Nature introduces a promising approach by targeting tumor-wide neoantigens — abnormal proteins created due to errors in RNA splicing.

The researchers found that these public neoantigens are common across multiple cancer types, including those more difficult to treat. By mapping RNA splicing patterns
RNA splicing patterns, they identified specific abnormal proteins that are consistently presented by cancer cells and recognized by the immune system.

Targeting these neoantigens could offer a more universal and stable target. This approach could lead to immunotherapies that work across different cancer types, potentially improving outcomes for patients with hard-to-treat tumors.

More on this topic: Launching medical research