Inflammation starves antitumour immunity
Michael Karin
Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 11 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01933-9 When cells sense amino acids, they activate a kinase complex known as mTORC1 in a process that can regulate cancer metabolism and growth. Work now shows that in nutrient-limiting conditions, inflammatory cytokines aberrantly activate mTORC1 in cancer cells, thereby depriving cancer-screening CD8+ T cells of amino acids and causing their death.