Cancer Immune Response Linked To Brain Disease

New study suggests autoimmune conditions like lupus and multiple sclerosis may be connected to the body's cancer-fighting abilities.

Mar. 26, 2026 at 3:05am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered a link between the immune system's response to cancer and the development of certain autoimmune brain diseases. The study found that antibodies produced to fight tumors can also attack proteins in the brain, leading to conditions like anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. This breakthrough could help develop new treatments that preserve the cancer-fighting abilities of the immune system while preventing neurological damage.

Why it matters

This research provides a potential explanation for the mysterious onset of severe autoimmune disorders, which often strike without warning. By connecting these conditions to the body's natural cancer-fighting mechanisms, it opens up new avenues for understanding and treating these debilitating diseases.

The details

The study, published in Nature, focused on anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (ANRE), an autoimmune brain disease where the immune system attacks proteins called NMDA receptors in the brain. Many ANRE patients are found to have a tumor that produces the same NMDA receptors, but outside the brain. Using a mouse model of breast cancer, the researchers traced the evolution of antibodies from birth to their cancer-fighting state, finding that the same antibodies that shrink tumors can also cause seizures and other neurological symptoms when infused into healthy mouse brains.

  • The study was published on March 26, 2026.

The players

Sam Kleeman

A recent Ph.D. graduate from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory who led the study.

Hiro Furukawa

A professor of molecular neuroscience at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory who helped realize that some antibodies activate NMDA receptors while others inhibit them.

Tobias Janowitz

An associate professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory who supervised the study alongside Furukawa.

Northwell Health

A healthcare provider that collaborated with the researchers to find that NMDA receptor proteins are commonly produced by tumors in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Patients with autoimmune diseases often experience the condition coming out of nowhere. It may be from the cancer you never knew you had.”

— Sam Kleeman, Ph.D. graduate, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

“This means that the same immune response against a tumor can produce antibodies with completely opposite effects on the brain. Understanding which antibodies are harmful and which are protective could eventually help us develop treatments that preserve the immune system's cancer-fighting abilities while preventing neurological damage.”

— Hiro Furukawa, Professor, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

What’s next

With this new understanding, the researchers plan to begin carefully designing antibody-based drugs that could be used to treat patients with triple-negative breast cancer, a disease known to resist common forms of treatment.

The takeaway

This groundbreaking research suggests that the immune system's response to cancer may be directly linked to the development of certain autoimmune brain diseases. By connecting these seemingly unrelated medical puzzles, the study opens up new possibilities for understanding, preventing, and treating a wide range of debilitating conditions.