An immune cold or desert tumor (left) and an immune hot tumor (right). In the blue tumor, the immune cells (blue) stay away. In the orange tumor, the immune cells (blue with orange centers) infiltrate the tumor. Credit: Nancy R. Gough, *Bioserendipity* https://www.bioserendipity.com/making-immune-cold-tumors-hot/cold_hot_tumors/#main.

Converting “Cold” Tumors Hot

Strategies to get cancer-killing immune cells to infiltrate and attack solid cancers

Nancy R. Gough, PhD

Jan 1, 2020·3 min read

Cancer cells in solid tumors are tricky. They can evade the body’s natural immune defenses against abnormal cells. For therapies that leverage the immune system to be effective in treating solid cancers, the tumor-killing immune cells have to be active and they have to get…