Chemotherapy is a common way to treat lung cancer, but it can also weaken the immune system that helps control the disease.
Now, scientists have found a new way to turn this weakness into a strength—by adding healthy mitochondria to the tumor environment.
Mitochondria are parts of cells that produce energy. In this study, researchers transplanted mitochondria into lung tumors in combination with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin. This helped the immune system fight the cancer better and made the drug more effective.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death around the world, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) makes up 85% of all cases. Cisplatin is a commonly used chemotherapy drug for NSCLC, but it has side effects and can weaken immune cells. In addition, tumors sometimes steal mitochondria from immune cells, making the immune system even weaker.
To solve this problem, researchers from Tongji University and Nantong University tested whether giving extra mitochondria could help. They used healthy mitochondria from heart cells and transplanted them into cancer models. When used alone, the mitochondria didn’t harm the cancer. But when combined with cisplatin, they made the drug work better.
The combination treatment made tumors in mice shrink more than cisplatin alone. It also increased the number of immune cells in the tumor. These included T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, which are important for fighting cancer.
In addition, the treatment changed how cancer cells use energy. Normally, tumors prefer glycolysis (a fast but inefficient energy process). After the treatment, the tumors started using a healthier process called oxidative phosphorylation. This shift made the tumors grow slower and less aggressive.
Importantly, this new method didn’t cause more side effects. The treated mice stayed healthy and kept their body weight.
“This is a powerful new strategy,” said Dr. Liuliu Yuan, the lead researcher. “We are helping the immune system get its strength back while making the cancer weaker. This could help patients who don’t respond well to regular treatments.”
This research shows that mitochondria could be used as a new tool to improve cancer therapy. In the future, this method might also help treat other cancers where the immune system needs support.
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