Chinese scientists have discovered a protein called FBXO38 that affects the body's antitumor immunity², providing possible new insight into cancer immunotherapy.

近日，中国科学家发现了一种名为FBXO38、影响人体抗肿瘤免疫功能的蛋白质，为癌症免疫治疗提供了可能的新视角。

In vitro studies by a group of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology have shown that a fairly low amount of FBXO38 leads to the accumulation of more PD-1 than the body requires. PD-1 is a molecule³ that helps keep the body's immune responses in check.

中国科学院生物化学与细胞生物学研究所的一组研究人员进行的体外研究表明，相当低的FBXO38含量会导致超过人体所需的PD-1的积累。而PD-1是一种有助于抑制机体免疫反应的分子。

Scientists found out many years ago that tumor¹ cells often multiply and develop by finding ways to over-activate PD-1, which in turn impairs⁴ the body's ability to destroy tumor cells.

许多年前，科学家们就发现，肿瘤细胞常常通过寻找过于活跃的PD-1的方法来增殖和发展，而PD-1反过来又损害了人体破坏肿瘤细胞的能力。

The Chinese research paper, which took seven years to complete, was published on the website of British scientific journal Nature last Thursday.

这篇耗时七年完成的中国研究论文于上周四发表在英国科学杂志《自然》的网站上。

The scientists also found that an FDA-approved drug called IL-2, which is used to treat skin and kidney cancers, can boost the levels of FBXO38 in the tumor microenvironment to improve the effectiveness of killing⁵ cancer cells.

科学家们还发现，FDA批准的一种名为IL-2的用于治疗皮肤癌和肾癌的药物，可以提高肿瘤微环境中FBXO38的水平，从而提高杀死癌细胞的有效性。

However, this drug has not been widely used for its obvious side effects, including vascular⁶ leakage⁷ and inflammation, the researchers said.

不过研究人员称，由于其副作用明显，包括血管渗漏和炎症，这种药物还没有被广泛使用。

"One possible approach in clinical application might be optimizing⁸ the form of the drug and its dosage in the future and exploring its combined use with other therapies," said Xu Chenqi, the lead researcher.

首席研究员许琛琦表示：“在临床应用中，一种可能的方法可能是在未来优化药物的形式和剂量，并探索它与其他疗法的联合使用。”