Ancient immune protein C3 boosts cancer immunotherapy within tumors

Menu Medical Home Life Sciences Home Become a Member Search Medical Home Life Sciences Home About Functional Food News Health A-Z Drugs Medical Devices Interviews White Papers More... MediKnowledge eBooks Posters Podcasts Videos Newsletters Health & Personal Care Contact Meet the Team Advertise Search Become a Member Top Health Categories Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 Diet & Nutrition Artificial Intelligence Allergies Alzheimer's & Dementia Arthritis & Rheumatology Breast Cancer Breastfeeding Cold, Flu & Cough Dermatology Diabetes Eating Disorders Eye Health Gastrointestinal Health Heart Disease Lung Cancer Mental Health Parkinson's Disease Pregnancy Sleep Urology View Health A-Z Top Health Categories Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 Eating Disorders Diet & Nutrition Eye Health Artificial Intelligence Gastrointestinal Health Allergies Heart Disease Alzheimer's & Dementia Lung Cancer Arthritis & Rheumatology Mental Health Breast Cancer Parkinson's Disease Breastfeeding Pregnancy Cold, Flu & Cough Sleep Dermatology Urology Diabetes View Health A-Z Medical Home Life Sciences Home About News Life Sciences A-Z White Papers Lab Equipment Interviews Newsletters Webinars More... eBooks Posters Podcasts Videos Contact Meet the Team Advertise Search Become a Member White Papers MediKnowledge eBooks Posters Podcasts Videos Newsletters Health & Personal Care Contact Meet the Team Advertise Search Become a Member Webinars eBooks Posters Podcasts Videos Contact Meet the Team Advertise Search Become a Member Ancient immune protein C3 boosts cancer immunotherapy within tumors Download PDF Copy Add News Medical on Google as a preferred source Nagoya University Jul 23 2026 Reviewed An ancient molecule that existed long before the blood circulation system evolved, has been found to support cancer immunotherapy. Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan found that complement C3 protein acts inside tumors to prevent the accumulation of immunosuppressive cells, but only when produced inside the tumor. C3 circulating in the blood did not affect treatment outcomes. Published in Nature Communications , the findings suggest that artificially recreating this effect can help patients with tumors that do not naturally produce enough of this protein. C3 protein is extremely old in evolutionary terms and present in simple organisms such as sponges and jellyfish. It is produced mainly in the liver and plays a vital role in the body's immune system, travelling through the blood to protect against infections. However, its role when produced locally in tissues and organs is largely unknown.