City of Hope researchers identified a key immune pathway driving radiation-induced lung injury. Published in Nature Communications on October 20, 2026, the preclinical study showed that radiation elevates interferon-beta, which transforms protective innate lymphoid cells into inflammatory cells that cause tissue damage and scarring. Blocking this signaling pathway in mouse models reduced lung injury, offering a potential strategy to safeguard healthy lung tissue and enable more effective radiation treatment for lung cancer patients.
City of Hope study overview
- ▪A City of Hope study published in Nature Communications on October 20, 2026, identified an immune pathway driving radiation-induced lung injury in mouse models.
- ▪Grants from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development funded the City of Hope study.
Reprogramming of innate lymphoid cells
- ▪City of Hope laboratory tests on human innate lymphoid cells showed biological transformations similar to the cellular reprogramming observed in mouse models following radiation exposure.
- ▪In a City of Hope mouse model study published on October 20, 2026, radiation reprograms protective innate lymphoid cells known as ILC2s into inflammatory ILC1 cells that drive healthy lung tissue damage.
Interferon-beta signaling and treatment
- ▪City of Hope researchers stated that blocking the interferon-beta pathway could protect patients from long-term lung damage and expand radiation options for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- ▪A City of Hope study found that radiation elevates levels of interferon-beta, a signaling protein that transforms protective ILC2 cells into inflammatory ILC1 cells and directly contributes to radiation-induced lung injury.
- ▪In mouse models of radiation-induced lung injury, City of Hope researchers found that disrupting the interferon-beta signaling pathway during radiation reduced inflammation, limited lung injury, and decreased fibrosis.
Risks of radiation therapy
- ▪Up to 20% of lung cancer patients receiving radiation therapy experience severe breathing difficulties, reduced quality of life, or reliance on heavy oxygen tanks due to healthy lung tissue damage.
- ▪Approximately 230,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer annually, and up to 70% of diagnosed patients undergo radiation therapy as part of their treatment.
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