Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Tumor Immunotherapy

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
Natural Killer Cells: The Fast Responders
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes found in the blood and lymphatic system. These...

What is the Immune System?

What is the Immune System?

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Control of Mucociliary Clearance in Airway Host Defense.

International immunology·2026

Same author

Vanin-1 deficiency enhances host tolerance to influenza infection by modulating cellular redox status.

PNAS nexus·2026

Same author

Heme orchestrates a tissue stress response to proteolytic damage.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

On the balance of knowledge.

Nature reviews. Immunology·2026

Same author

Gut-to-brain signaling restricts dietary protein intake during recovery from catabolic states.

Cell·2025

Same author

Intestinal mast cell-derived leukotrienes mediate the anaphylactic response to ingested antigens.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Evaluation of Tumor-infiltrating Leukocyte Subsets in a Subcutaneous Tumor Model

Evaluation of Tumor-infiltrating Leukocyte Subsets in a Subcutaneous Tumor Model

Published on: April 13, 2015

How the immune system spots tumors.

Yasutaka Okabe¹, Ruslan Medzhitov²

¹Yasutaka Okabe is in the Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.

|September 25, 2014

Summary

The Dectin-1 receptor protein identifies cancer cell structures, initiating an immune response against tumors. This discovery offers new avenues for cancer immunotherapy.

Keywords:

Dectin-1 IRF NK cell cancer immunology innate immunity mouse

More Related Videos

Detection of Human Leukocyte Antigen Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Utilizing Label-free Biosensor Technology

Detection of Human Leukocyte Antigen Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Utilizing Label-free Biosensor Technology

Published on: March 24, 2015

Author Spotlight: Unlocking Insights into the Immune Cell Landscape of Tumors

Author Spotlight: Unlocking Insights into the Immune Cell Landscape of Tumors

Published on: August 18, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Evaluation of Tumor-infiltrating Leukocyte Subsets in a Subcutaneous Tumor Model

Evaluation of Tumor-infiltrating Leukocyte Subsets in a Subcutaneous Tumor Model

Published on: April 13, 2015

Detection of Human Leukocyte Antigen Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Utilizing Label-free Biosensor Technology

Detection of Human Leukocyte Antigen Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Utilizing Label-free Biosensor Technology

Published on: March 24, 2015

Author Spotlight: Unlocking Insights into the Immune Cell Landscape of Tumors

Author Spotlight: Unlocking Insights into the Immune Cell Landscape of Tumors

Published on: August 18, 2023

Area of Science:

Immunology
Oncology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Dectin-1 is a C-type lectin receptor crucial in innate immunity.
Aberrant expression of certain molecular structures occurs on cancer cells.
The interaction between Dectin-1 and cancer cells is an area of active research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of Dectin-1 in recognizing cancer cells.
To elucidate the downstream signaling pathways triggered by Dectin-1 activation on cancer cells.
To explore the potential of Dectin-1 as a target for anti-cancer therapies.

Main Methods:

Utilized in vitro assays to assess Dectin-1 binding to various cancer cell lines.
Employed flow cytometry and Western blotting to analyze immune cell activation.
Investigated tumor growth in preclinical models following Dectin-1 modulation.

Main Results:

Dectin-1 was found to bind to specific molecular patterns on the surface of multiple cancer types.
Binding of Dectin-1 to cancer cells resulted in the activation of key immune signaling molecules.
Modulation of Dectin-1 activity demonstrated a significant impact on anti-tumor immune responses and tumor progression.

Conclusions:

Dectin-1 acts as a critical sensor for cancer cell-associated molecular structures.
Dectin-1 engagement initiates a potent anti-tumor immune response.
Targeting Dectin-1 presents a promising strategy for enhancing cancer immunotherapy.