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Mitochondrial swap from cancer to immune cells thwarts anti-tumour defences

Immune cells can destroy cancer, but tumours often evade such responses. The bidirectional transfer of mitochondria between cancer and immune cells is a newly discovered mechanism that thwarts anticancer defences.
  1. Jonathan R. Brestoff

    1. Jonathan R. Brestoff is in the Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.

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Mitochondria are energy-providing organelles found in nearly all cells of humans and in a variety of other species. Over the past two decades, it has become clear that many types of cell can transfer some of their mitochondria to other cell types. This process, called horizontal or intercellular mitochondria transfer, has been implicated in the maintenance of tissue health but can also contribute to cancer1. Writing in Nature, Ikeda et al.2 report that cancer cells obtain functional mitochondria from immune cells called T cells that infiltrate the tumour. In exchange, the cancer cells return mitochondria that harbour mutations and these organelles impair the T cells’ antitumour immune response. This bidirectional exchange of mitochondria enables cancer cells to support their metabolic needs while simultaneously creating favourable conditions for tumour growth.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00077-4

References

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Competing Interests

J.R.B. is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of LUCA Science, Inc.; receives research support from LUCA Science and Edgewise Therapeutics; is a consultant for Columbus Instruments; has consulted for DeciBio within the past 12 months (discontinued); receives royalties from Springer Nature Group; is an inventor on technology licensed to Columbus Instruments with royalty rights; is an inventor on pending patent applications related to the treatment of metabolic diseases (63/625,555), allergic diseases (US20210128689A1) and mitochondria transfer (018984/US) assigned to Washington University in St. Louis; and is a co-founder of and holds equity in Symbiogenix, Inc.

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