Molecular switch for 'exhaustion mode' of immune cells discovered

(Technical University of Munich (TUM)) Tumors and certain viral infections pose a challenge to the human body which the immune system typically fails to hand. In these diseases it switches to hypofunctional state that prevent adequate protection. A research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has achieved a major success: They identified the crucial molecular switch that triggers such dysfunctional immune responses. This could make it possible in the future to switch off or to pre...