The study focuses on the so-called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This receptor is known to be a key factor in the growth of cancer cells and is already the target of various cancer therapies. The team led by study director Maria Sibilia from the Center for Cancer Research at MedUni Vienna and the Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna (AKH) has now shown that EGFR also plays a crucial role in certain immune cells. In these cells, the receptor helps to suppress the immune response against the tumour.
“Our findings show that it is not only the cancer cells themselves that determine the success of a treatment. Certain immune cells in their vicinity can also significantly slow down the immune response against the tumour. If we switch off the EGFR signal in these cells, part of this immune brake is removed – and immunotherapy can be significantly more effective,” explains Sibilia.
This finding is particularly relevant for the large group of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in whom so-called checkpoint inhibitors have so far been largely ineffective. In the model studied, switching off the EGFR signalling pathway in certain myeloid immune cells was able to enhance the immune response against liver metastases. In combination with an immunotherapy targeting PD-L1, the development of liver metastases was prevented.
The results thus provide a new starting point for potential combination therapies. In future, research could investigate whether specifically targeting EGFR in these immune cells can help make colorectal cancer metastases that have so far been resistant to treatment more responsive to immunotherapies. However, further research and clinical trials are required before this can lead to a new treatment strategy.
The study was conducted under the leadership of the Center for Cancer Research at MedUni Vienna and the Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna (AKH), in collaboration with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Barcelona.
Publication: Cell Death & Differentiation
Absence of EGFR signalling in granulocytic cells relieves immunosuppression, sensitising CRC metastases to immune checkpoint therapy
Veronica Moreno-Viedma, Emi Adachi-Fernandez, Dana Krauss, Thomas Mohr, Bernadette Blauensteiner, Jorun Buresch, Lilyana Mireva, Eleftherios Kokkinogenis, Martin Filipits, Martin Holcmann, Daniele V. F. Tauriello, Eduard Batlle & Maria Sibilia
Published on 11 August 2026
DOI: 10.1038/s41418-026-01828-0
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41418-026-01828-0#Abs1