Mitchell E Fane PhD; AACR 2026: Gamma Delta T-Cell Modulation: a Potential New Component of Immunotherapy for Patients with Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma?

Gamma Delta T-Cell Modulation: a Potential New Component of Immunotherapy for Patients with Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma?

An interview with:

Mitchell E Fane PhD, Assistant Professor, Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA, USA

SAN DIEGO, USA—The importance of gamma delta T-cells in the progression of cutaneous metastatic melanoma was highlighted at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Epidemiological evidence of a relationship between these very specialized cells and the age-dependency of cancer progression has now been linked to powerful laboratory-based in-vivo studies suggesting a potential role of gamma delta T-cells as components of cancer immunotherapy.

Peter Goodwin talked with first author of the research, Mitchell E Fane, Assistant Professor at the Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program in Philadelphia, USA:

AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY, Mitchell E Fane PhD

SOURCE:

AACR 2026 Annual Meeting, San Diego

Abstract 2072:

Role of the aging on the ᵧδ; T-cells in metastatic cutaneous melanoma progression.

Cancer Res (2026) 86 (7_Supplement): 2072.

https://doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.AM2026-2072

Abstract

Melanoma incidence, metastasis, and mortality are significantly associated with age. Interestingly within the clinic, melanoma incidence is low in young adults, peaks between ages 65-79, and decreases thereafter (79+). This phenomenon has never been studied as pre-clinical studies predominantly focus on young (8-week-old) mouse models. Syngeneic melanoma cells have been injected by IV (lung colonization) and hydrodynamic tail vein injection (liver colonization) into C57/Bl/6 young (8 weeks), aged (12 months) and geriatric (18-24 months) male mice. Spleen, lungs and liver have been collected to analyze metastasis and immune infiltration by flow cytometry. H&E and IHC staining have been performed to quantify the number of metastases and to determine different immune markers (e.g. CD45, CD8, CD4). Our data highlighted that middle aged mice had significantly increased ᵧδ T cell infiltration in the metastatic lung and liver relative to young and geriatric mice, which had less metastasis. Based on this, we used a ᵧδ T cell mouse model of depletion coupled with depletion antibodies against gamma delta in young and geriatric mice respectively. Finally, our preliminary data indicated that upon reactivation in middle-aged mice, melanoma cells secreted PROS1, which drives cancer proliferation. Its effects on the immune system within our model have not been studied. We overexpressed PROS1 in melanoma cells and injected them via IV and HDTV and analyzed metastasis and ᵧδ T cell infiltration. Our data shows that middle-aged mice have significantly increased lung and liver metastasis relative to young mice. Interestingly, geriatric mice have lower levels of metastasis, replicating what is seen in the clinic. Assessment of immune cell infiltration confirmed that ᵧδ T-cells were significantly reduced in middle-aged mice relative to young and geriatric mice. We hypothesized that they may play an anti-tumor role in metastasis. To study this, we injected tumor cells as a primary tumor, IV, and HDTV into a transgenic ᵧδ TCR diphtheria toxin depletion model and found that while the primary tumor grew slower, ᵧδ depleted mice had increased lung and liver metastasis. Use of a ᵧδ depletion antibody in geriatric mice replicated this phenotype. Finally, IV and HDTV injection of PROS1 overexpressing melanoma cells significantly increased lung and liver metastasis while subsequently decreasing δ T cells infiltration in young mice. Age induced decrease of ᵧδ T cell infiltration in middle-aged mice, induced largely by PROS1 secretion from melanoma cells, promotes aggressive metastases. Adoptive treatment with δ T cells or use of a PROS1 inhibitor may be a viable therapeutic option for metastasis in elderly individuals.

Mitchell E Fane AACR 2026 A J Oncology November 10, 2026