City of Hope team identifies immune trigger behind radiation-related lung damage

Researchers at City of Hope have published a preclinical study in Nature Communications identifying an immune mechanism behind lung damage caused by radiation therapy. They found that radiation raises levels of IFN-beta, which converts protective ILC2 cells in the lung into pro-inflammatory ILC1 cells, driving damage to healthy lung tissue. The finding points to a specific molecular pathway, rather than direct radiation injury alone, as a cause of harm to normal tissue during treatment. As a preclinical study, the work has not yet been tested in patients, and questions remain open on whether the mechanism can be safely targeted in people receiving radiation therapy, and how it might apply across different cancer types and treatment regimens.

Written by a model from the reports · updated 3 hours ago