A new study by UT Southwestern's Simmons Cancer Center scientists suggests that lactate, a metabolic byproduct produced by cells during strenuous exercise, can rejuvenate immune cells that fight cancer. The finding, published in Nature Communications, could eventually be used to develop new strategies to augment the anti-tumor effect of cancer immunotherapies, the study authors said.

"The lactate that we usually think of as a waste product appears to have a previously unrecognized role in fighting cancer," said Jinming Gao, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology, Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, and Pharmacology, and member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Gao co-led the study with fellow Simmons Cancer Center members Baran Sumer, M.D., Professor of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, and Bo Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Immunology and in the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics.

Lactate is commonly used in Ringer's solution, administered intravenously to replace fluids after blood loss due to trauma, surgery, or severe burns or to treat a condition called metabolic acidosis. While lactic acid (lactate with an additional proton) has been associated with cancer growth and immune suppression, the effects of lactate on cancer and immunity have been unclear.

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