Pinho Lab identifies new biomarker of colitis-associated cancer progression

Exciting news!

Pinho’s Lab has recently published a landmark study on colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis! Therein, we demonstrate that a progressive increase in N-glycan branching at the T cell surface not only accompanies CAC development but also debilitates T cell function during carcinogenesis.

Chronic intestinal inflammation, as observed in colitis, is a major risk factor for colorectal cancer. However, there are currently no reliable biomarkers for early identification of colitis patients who are at risk of developing cancer. Thus, Pinho’s lab has been invested in understanding whether T cell N-glycosylation may provide valuable information to detect pre-neoplastic stages of CAC.

Leveraging public transcriptomic datasets, patient-derived material and animal models of CAC, we show that complex N-glycans are progressively enriched in T cells throughout tumor development. These changes were conducive to impaired anti-tumor responses, leading to reduced infiltration and cytokine production.

Altogether, this work establishes T cell glycosylation as a mediator of CAC progression, underlying the progression of long-standing IBD to colorectal cancer. Thus, we have identified a putative biomarker for improved stratification and surveillance for colitis patients, which will open new possibilities for colorectal cancer prevention.

Check out the original publication in the link below: https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/19/4/jjaf043/8078912