Immunotherapies such as so-called checkpoint inhibitors activate the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells and have revolutionized the treatment of many types of tumor. In breast cancer, however, these therapies are often only of limited effectiveness.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, also provide a new starting point for improving the effectiveness of immunotherapies in breast cancer.

Sialylation is the name given to the biochemical process that the research team led by Stefan Mereiter (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MedUni Vienna) and Josef Penninger (Clinical Institute of Laboratory Medicine, MedUni Vienna) has identified as a central mechanism of immune suppression in breast cancer.