How cancer cells engineer macrophages to support cancer growth

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a means by which cancer cells engineer the conversion of immune cells known as macrophages from destroyers of tumors to supporters of their growth and survival. The new research, led by Ludwig Lausanne's Ping-Chih Ho and postdoctoral fellow Giusy Di Conza, reveals that in mouse models of the skin cancer melanoma, this transformation of macrophages within tumors is prompted by a fat molecule, or lipid, released by cancer cells.