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Aspirin prevents metastasis by limiting platelet TXA2 suppression of T cell immunity
Mar 28, 2025, 09:34

Aspirin prevents metastasis by limiting platelet TXA2 suppression of T cell immunity

Marco Donia, Professor at University of Copenhagen, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Aspirin releases T Cells to fight cancer

Background:

Low-dose aspirin has been associated with reduced cancer mortality and metastasis. This study uncovers the underlying mechanism—linking aspirin to immune control of metastasis.

Key Findings:

Aspirin boosts T cell immunity
▪️ Blocks platelet-derived TXA2, which normally suppresses T cell activity
▪️ Preserves effective T cell responses against metastasizing cancer cells.

ARHGEF1 is a T cell-intrinsic checkpoint
▪️ Acts downstream of TXA2 in T cells
▪️ Deletion of ARHGEF1 improves T cell polyfunctionality and reduces exhaustion

Platelets suppress anti-tumor immunity
▪️ Main source of TXA2
▪️ Platelet-specific COX-1 deletion or aspirin reduces metastasis

Take-Home:

  •  Anti-metastatic effect of aspirin is immune-mediated
  •  The TXA2–ARHGEF1 pathway: a novel immune checkpoint.

Clinical Implications:
Supports aspirin as approach to enhance immune control of micrometastases/early stage cancer

Outstanding work from the team of Rahul Roychoudhuri and collaborators.”

Aspirin prevents metastasis by limiting platelet TXA2 suppression of T cell immunity

Authors: Jie Yang et al.

Aspirin prevents metastasis by limiting platelet TXA2 suppression of T cell immunity