"When cells are infected by viruses or become cancerous, they can present peptides derived from viral or mutant proteins. Our immune system, particularly T-cells, recognizes these abnormal peptides and eliminates the diseased cells," said Xiaoyu Zhang, PhD, assistant professor of Chemistry and senior author of the study.
"This is the major innovation - scientists have never been able to target antigen peptides with small molecules, but we demonstrate the feasibility of this approach," said Zhang, who is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Investigators tested the probes on different human leukemia cell lines and found that the probes reacted with cysteines on several different peptide antigens, producing measurable signals."
"The scientists tested whether the probe could successfully mark leukemia cells, allowing them to be recognized by immune fighter cells, inducing a process known as antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, which could serve as a potential strategy for triggering cancer cell death."
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