{"id":99674,"date":"2026-03-17T11:39:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T10:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/?p=99674"},"modified":"2026-03-17T12:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T11:38:36","slug":"a-tumor-disguised-as-a-parasite-an-evolutionary-perspective-on-melanoma-immunology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/a-tumor-disguised-as-a-parasite-an-evolutionary-perspective-on-melanoma-immunology\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tumor Disguised as a Parasite: An Evolutionary Perspective on Melanoma Immunology"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Can <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells <\/span>exploit <\/span>strategies <\/span>known <\/span>from <\/span>parasite <\/span>biology? <\/span><\/strong>In <\/span>the <\/span>publication <\/span>Cancer <\/span>in <\/span>Disguise: <\/span>A <\/span>Parasite <\/span>Within<\/span>,<\/span><\/em>\u00a0Dr. hab. <\/span>Marek <\/span>Wagner<\/span><\/strong> proposes <\/span>a <\/span>novel <\/span>evolutionary <\/span>perspective <\/span>on <\/span>melanoma. <\/span>The <\/span>paper <\/span>examines <\/span>similarities <\/span>between <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells <\/span>and <\/span>parasites <\/span>to <\/span>better <\/span>understand <\/span>how <\/span>tumors <\/span>manipulate <\/span>the <\/span>immune <\/span>system.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The <\/span>immune <\/span>system <\/span>did <\/span>not <\/span>evolve <\/span>solely <\/span>to <\/span>fight <\/span>cancer. <\/span>Evolutionarily, <\/span>parasites <\/span>were <\/span>a <\/span>much <\/span>earlier <\/span>and <\/span>more <\/span>widespread <\/span>threat. <\/span>It <\/span>was <\/span>in <\/span>response <\/span>to <\/span>them <\/span>that <\/span>so-<\/span>called <\/span>type <\/span>2 <\/span>immunity<\/span> developed \u2013 <\/span>a <\/span>specialized <\/span>defense <\/span>mechanism <\/span>activated <\/span>in <\/span>response <\/span>to <\/span>multicellular <\/span>intruders.<\/span><\/p>

\u201c<\/span>We <\/span>wondered <\/span>whether <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells <\/span>might <\/span>use <\/span>similar <\/span>mechanisms,\u201d <\/span>explains <\/span>Dr. hab. <\/span>Marek <\/span>Wagner<\/span>, <\/span>head <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Innate <\/span>Immunity <\/span>Research <\/span>Group<\/span><\/a> at <\/span>\u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 <\/span>PORT. <\/span>This <\/span>question <\/span>became <\/span>the <\/span>starting <\/span>point <\/span>for <\/span>looking <\/span>at <\/span>melanoma <\/span>from <\/span>a <\/span>new <\/span>perspective: <\/span>not <\/span>only <\/span>as <\/span>a <\/span>collection <\/span>of <\/span>mutated <\/span>cells, <\/span>but <\/span>as <\/span>a <\/span>system <\/span>capable <\/span>of <\/span>adapting <\/span>and <\/span>manipulating <\/span>the <\/span>host <\/span>response.<\/span><\/p>

In <\/span>the <\/span>article <\/span>Cancer <\/span>in <\/span>Disguise: <\/span>A <\/span>Parasite <\/span>Within<\/span><\/a>,<\/span><\/em>\u00a0published <\/span>in “<\/span>The <\/span>EMBO <\/span>Journal<\/span>,” <\/span>Dr. hab. <\/span>Marek <\/span>Wagner<\/span>, <\/span>together <\/span>with <\/span>Prof. <\/span>Shigeo <\/span>Koyasu<\/span>, <\/span>an <\/span>immunologist <\/span>from <\/span>Japan, <\/span>point <\/span>to <\/span>surprising <\/span>similarities <\/span>between <\/span>parasites <\/span>and <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Invasion and Migration of Melanoma Cells in the Body<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Parasites, <\/span>in <\/span>order <\/span>to <\/span>survive, <\/span>must <\/span>enter <\/span>the <\/span>host <\/span>organism, <\/span>overcome <\/span>tissue <\/span>barriers, <\/span>and <\/span>move <\/span>within <\/span>it. <\/span>Similarly, <\/span>melanoma <\/span>cells \u2013 <\/span>derived <\/span>from <\/span>melanocytes <\/span>located <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>deepest <\/span>layer <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>epidermis \u2013 <\/span>must <\/span>learn <\/span>to <\/span>leave <\/span>their <\/span>original <\/span>location <\/span>and <\/span>migrate <\/span>to <\/span>other <\/span>parts <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>body. <\/span>To <\/span>do <\/span>this, <\/span>both <\/span>parasites <\/span>and <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells <\/span>pave <\/span>the <\/span>way <\/span>for <\/span>further <\/span>expansion <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>organism <\/span>by \u201c<\/span>loosening\u201d <\/span>the <\/span>structure <\/span>of <\/span>tissues.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Mechanism of Immunoediting<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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One <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>key <\/span>mechanisms <\/span>driving <\/span>tumor <\/span>development <\/span>is <\/span>the <\/span>ability <\/span>to <\/span>gradually <\/span>evade <\/span>immune <\/span>surveillance. \u201c<\/span>Those <\/span>cells <\/span>that <\/span>are <\/span>most <\/span>visible <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>immune <\/span>system <\/span>are <\/span>eliminated. <\/span>The <\/span>ones <\/span>that <\/span>can <\/span>hide <\/span>survive. <\/span>It <\/span>is <\/span>a <\/span>form <\/span>of <\/span>immunological <\/span>selection,\u201d <\/span>says <\/span>Dr. hab. <\/span>Marek <\/span>Wagner<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>

This <\/span>phenomenon <\/span>is <\/span>referred <\/span>to <\/span>as <\/span>immunoediting<\/span>. <\/span>The <\/span>immune <\/span>system <\/span>removes <\/span>the <\/span>most <\/span>visible <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells, <\/span>while <\/span>those <\/span>that <\/span>are <\/span>less \u201c<\/span>visible\u201d <\/span>gain <\/span>an <\/span>advantage <\/span>and <\/span>can <\/span>continue <\/span>to <\/span>develop. <\/span>As <\/span>a <\/span>result, <\/span>the <\/span>tumor <\/span>becomes <\/span>more <\/span>resistant <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>body\u2019s <\/span>defense <\/span>mechanisms.<\/span><\/p>

Similar <\/span>strategies <\/span>are <\/span>observed <\/span>in <\/span>parasites \u2013 <\/span>they <\/span>can <\/span>modify <\/span>the <\/span>host\u2019s <\/span>immune <\/span>response, <\/span>weaken <\/span>it, <\/span>or <\/span>redirect <\/span>it <\/span>in <\/span>ways <\/span>that <\/span>increase <\/span>their <\/span>chances <\/span>of <\/span>survival.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Role of Type 2 Immunity in Combating Melanoma<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The <\/span>team <\/span>studies <\/span>the <\/span>role <\/span>of <\/span>type <\/span>2 <\/span>innate <\/span>lymphoid <\/span>cells (<\/span>ILC2) <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>cellular <\/span>components <\/span>of <\/span>innate <\/span>immunity <\/span>that <\/span>are <\/span>particularly <\/span>active <\/span>in <\/span>barrier <\/span>tissues, <\/span>such <\/span>as <\/span>the <\/span>skin. <\/span>Importantly, <\/span>these <\/span>cells \u2013 <\/span>known <\/span>mainly <\/span>for <\/span>their <\/span>role <\/span>in <\/span>anti-<\/span>parasitic <\/span>responses \u2013 <\/span>may <\/span>also <\/span>influence <\/span>the <\/span>tumor <\/span>microenvironment.<\/span><\/p>

\u201c<\/span>We <\/span>have <\/span>shown <\/span>that <\/span>cells <\/span>involved <\/span>in <\/span>defense <\/span>against <\/span>parasites <\/span>are <\/span>also <\/span>capable <\/span>of <\/span>destroying <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells. <\/span>We <\/span>now <\/span>want <\/span>to <\/span>understand <\/span>precisely <\/span>how <\/span>they <\/span>recognize <\/span>them <\/span>and <\/span>how <\/span>this <\/span>process <\/span>takes <\/span>place,\u201d <\/span>emphasizes <\/span>Dr. hab. <\/span>Marek <\/span>Wagner<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Antiparasitic Drugs \u2013 Potential for Adjunctive Therapy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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One <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>most <\/span>intriguing <\/span>aspects <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>research <\/span>is <\/span>the <\/span>analysis <\/span>of <\/span>antiparasitic <\/span>drugs. <\/span>If <\/span>certain <\/span>mechanisms <\/span>are <\/span>shared <\/span>by <\/span>parasites <\/span>and <\/span>tumors, <\/span>the <\/span>question <\/span>arises: <\/span>could <\/span>substances <\/span>originally <\/span>developed <\/span>to <\/span>combat <\/span>parasites <\/span>also <\/span>affect <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells?<\/span><\/p>

\u201c<\/span>Based <\/span>on <\/span>a <\/span>review <\/span>of <\/span>current <\/span>scientific <\/span>publications, <\/span>we <\/span>selected <\/span>several <\/span>antiparasitic <\/span>drugs <\/span>and <\/span>are <\/span>testing <\/span>them <\/span>in <\/span>melanoma <\/span>cell <\/span>cultures. <\/span>Some <\/span>of <\/span>them <\/span>show <\/span>the <\/span>ability <\/span>to <\/span>inhibit <\/span>the <\/span>proliferation <\/span>of <\/span>cancer <\/span>cells,\u201d <\/span>says <\/span>Katarzyna <\/span>Kurecka<\/span> from <\/span>the <\/span>Innate <\/span>Immunity <\/span>Research <\/span>Group<\/span>, <\/span>who <\/span>is <\/span>involved <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>experimental <\/span>part <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>project.<\/span><\/p>

At <\/span>this <\/span>stage, <\/span>the <\/span>research <\/span>is <\/span>conducted <\/span>exclusively <\/span>under <\/span>laboratory <\/span>conditions. <\/span>Dr. hab. <\/span>Marek <\/span>Wagner<\/span> emphasizes <\/span>that <\/span>this <\/span>is <\/span>only <\/span>the <\/span>beginning: \u201c<\/span>We <\/span>are <\/span>not <\/span>saying <\/span>that <\/span>antiparasitic <\/span>drugs <\/span>should <\/span>replace <\/span>melanoma <\/span>treatment. <\/span>If <\/span>they <\/span>find <\/span>application <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>future, <\/span>it <\/span>will <\/span>be <\/span>as <\/span>part <\/span>of <\/span>adjunctive <\/span>therapy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Understanding <\/span>the <\/span>mechanism <\/span>of <\/span>action <\/span>is <\/span>crucial. <\/span>Even <\/span>if <\/span>a <\/span>given <\/span>drug <\/span>does <\/span>not <\/span>become <\/span>a <\/span>direct <\/span>component <\/span>of <\/span>oncological <\/span>therapy, <\/span>it <\/span>may <\/span>help <\/span>identify <\/span>biological \u201c<\/span>weak <\/span>points\u201d <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>tumor <\/span>and <\/span>point <\/span>to <\/span>new <\/span>therapeutic <\/span>targets.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Dr hab. Marek Wagner and Katarzyna Kurecka from Innate Immunity Reaseach Group<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Prevention Above All<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Modern <\/span>medicine <\/span>has <\/span>effective <\/span>tools <\/span>at <\/span>its <\/span>disposal \u2013 <\/span>provided <\/span>the <\/span>disease <\/span>is <\/span>detected <\/span>early. <\/span>Prevention <\/span>and <\/span>the <\/span>rapid <\/span>surgical <\/span>removal <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>lesion <\/span>remain <\/span>the <\/span>foundation <\/span>of <\/span>treatment. <\/span>In <\/span>more <\/span>advanced <\/span>stages, <\/span>immunotherapy <\/span>and <\/span>targeted <\/span>therapies <\/span>are <\/span>used. <\/span>Although <\/span>they <\/span>have <\/span>significantly <\/span>improved <\/span>patient <\/span>survival, <\/span>they <\/span>are <\/span>not <\/span>free <\/span>from <\/span>side <\/span>effects <\/span>and <\/span>do <\/span>not <\/span>always <\/span>lead <\/span>to <\/span>lasting <\/span>cures. <\/span>For <\/span>this <\/span>reason, <\/span>research <\/span>on <\/span>immune <\/span>mechanisms \u2013 <\/span>also <\/span>from <\/span>an <\/span>evolutionary <\/span>perspective \u2013 <\/span>may <\/span>open <\/span>new <\/span>therapeutic <\/span>possibilities <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>future.<\/span><\/p>

The <\/span>perspective <\/span>of <\/span>the \u201c<\/span>internal <\/span>parasite\u201d <\/span>serves <\/span>as <\/span>a <\/span>biological <\/span>framework <\/span>that <\/span>allows <\/span>tumor <\/span>development <\/span>to <\/span>be <\/span>viewed <\/span>in <\/span>a <\/span>different <\/span>way. <\/span>It <\/span>shows <\/span>that <\/span>diseases <\/span>can <\/span>be <\/span>analyzed <\/span>in <\/span>a <\/span>broader <\/span>evolutionary <\/span>context \u2013 <\/span>as <\/span>phenomena <\/span>that <\/span>exploit <\/span>survival <\/span>strategies <\/span>already <\/span>present <\/span>in <\/span>nature.<\/span><\/p>

The <\/span>research <\/span>conducted <\/span>by <\/span>the <\/span>team <\/span>at <\/span>\u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 <\/span>PORT <\/span>does <\/span>not <\/span>offer <\/span>simple <\/span>answers <\/span>or <\/span>a <\/span>ready-<\/span>made <\/span>therapy. <\/span>Instead, <\/span>it <\/span>opens <\/span>a <\/span>new <\/span>direction <\/span>of <\/span>inquiry \u2013 <\/span>at <\/span>the <\/span>intersection <\/span>of <\/span>immunology, <\/span>oncology, <\/span>and <\/span>parasite <\/span>biology.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can cancer cells exploit strategies known from parasite biology? Dr. Marek Wagner explores melanoma from an evolutionary perspective, highlighting how tumors may manipulate the immune system in ways reminiscent of parasites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":99673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[690],"class_list":["post-99674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-researches"],"acf":{"czas_czytania":"3","order":"0"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-14 11:14:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99674"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99682,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99674\/revisions\/99682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}