Aggressive breast cancers secrete heme metabolites to alter macrophage immune suppression and function
macrophages upon treatment with αPD-1. Depletion of intratumoral bilirubin levels impacts pro-tumor macrophage populations, particularly in combination with immunotherapy, demonstrating that heme catabolism and bilirubin act as immunomodulators in cancer.
Authors
- Kathleen O’Neill (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7681-2863)
- M Russell Williams
- Lyndsey S. Crump (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2790-7780)
- Jill E. Slansky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3820-1724)
- Meher P. Boorgula (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4700-4140)
- Sabrina Hafeez
- Lauren M McCue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9936-1591)
- Jessica L. Christenson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6311-8191)
- Juanantonio Ruiz
- Haley E. Sax
- Andrew Goodspeed
- Angelica Phan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2210-7191)
- Nicole S. Spoelstra
- Jared Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2082-8553)
- Li-Wei Kuo
- Jennifer K. Richer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9960-0991)
- Thomas M. Hintelmann
- Alexis A. Hill (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3544-6686)
Institutions
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (US)
- University of Colorado Cancer Center (US)
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (US)
- University of Colorado Denver (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Biology
- Published
- 2026-05-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10212-0
- Primary Topic
- Heme Oxygenase-1 and Carbon Monoxide
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Colorado State University
- Cancer League of Colorado
- National Institutes of Health
- University of Colorado Boulder
- Cancer Center, University of Colorado
- National Cancer Institute