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Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Co-Culture of Murine Small Intestine Epithelial Organoids with Innate Lymphoid Cells
Published on: March 23, 2022
Innate lymphoid cells in intestinal cancer development
Imke Atreya1, Markus Kindermann1, Stefan Wirtz1
1Department of Medicine 1, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen, Germany.
Abstract:
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly prominent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although the functions of immune cells in the colorectal tumor microenvironment are complex and heterogeneous, dysregulated changes in the composition and activation state of immune cells are believed to represent key events supporting the establishment of pro- or anti-tumorigenic immune states. Recently, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) emerged as central innate immune mediators during both gastrointestinal homeostasis and inflammatory pathologies. Hence, ILCs might also represent promising targets in the context of cancer therapy and are increasingly recognized as innate immune cells with potent immunomodulatory properties. In this review, we summarize the pleiotropic roles of the different ILC subsets for intestinal homeostasis and discuss the recent evidence on their potential involvement in the development and growth of intestinal cancers.
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