Researchers have uncovered a protein that not only boosts immunity to cancer but also has the ability to fight viruses, an unexpected discovery because the protein previously had no known function and was unlike any other protein.

In a study published in the journal Science, researchers led by a team from Imperial College London detailed how mice and human cell experiments showed the protein can promote the production of cytotoxic T cells, which are capable of killing cancer cells and those infected by viruses. As a result of the study, the researchers are now in the process of developing gene therapy that can improve the body's infection-fighting cells.

Cytotoxic T cells are integral to the immune system but are unable to reproduce in large numbers when facing advanced cancer or a serious infection. As the protein, now called lymphocyte expansion molecule or LEM, promotes cytotoxic T cell production, researchers saw the potential it has for fighting cancer and viruses.

With support from Imperial Innovations, Imperial's technology commercialization company, the researchers have filed for two patents. Once these patents are awarded, a company known as ImmunarT will be responsible for commercializing the technology.

Phillip Ashton-Rickardt from Imperial's Medicine Department's Immunobiology Section explained that cancer cells have all sorts of ways of suppressing the activity of T cells, allowing them to evade the actions of the immune system.

"By introducing an active version of the LEM gene into the T cells of cancer patients, we hope we can provide a robust treatment for patients," he said, adding that augmenting the abilities of T cells through genetic engineering has been a goal for a while now.

Researchers will be testing if the gene therapy they developed will work in mice, ensuring its safety and efficacy and if it can be integrated with other treatment options. If everything goes according to plan, they should be ready to undergo human trials within three years.

Mike Turner, infection and immunobiology head for The Wellcome Trust, said that LEM's discovery is fascinating as it offers the potential for a new kind of treatment capitalizing on the innate abilities of the immune system.

The study received funding support from the British Heart Foundation, The Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. Isobel Okoye, Sophie Rutschmann, Lihui Wang, Annette Oxenius, Katharina Pallmer, Reza Abdi, Kirsten Richter, Claudio Mauro, Takahuru Ichimura, Elena Lovo, Robert Haas, Dean Heathcote, Josh Crouse and Onjee Choi also contributed to the study.