For cancer, and infection-fighting T cells, glucose offers far more than a simple sugar rush.
A new discovery by Van Andel Institute scientists reveals that glucose, an essential cellular fuel that powers immune cells, also aids in T cells' internal communication and boosts their cancer-fighting properties. The findings may help optimize T cells' ability to combat cancer and other diseases.
A study describing the work published on September 2 in Cell Metabolism.
"Immune cells are highly influenced by their environment" said Joseph Longo, Ph.D., the study's first author and a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Russell Jones, Ph.D. "We knew that T cells need access to glucose to function, but we didn't know exactly why. It was previously thought that T cells mainly break down glucose for energy, but our new work shows that T cells use glucose as a building block for other molecules that are necessary to support T cells' anti-cancer properties."
The findings reveal that T cells allocate significant portions of glucose to build large molecules called glycosphingolipids (GSLs). These sugar-fat compounds are essential for T cell growth and making proteins that T cells use to combat cancer.
GSLs help form fat-rich structures on T cell surfaces called lipid rafts, which bring together cell signaling proteins that instruct the T cell to kill cancer cells. Without GSLs, these signals are weaker, making T cells less effective at destroying tumors.
"Both T cells and cancer cells leverage different nutrients to support varying aspects of their function," Jones said. "The more we know about these different fuel sources, the better we can support T cells' innate cancer-fighting abilities while also developing ways to possibly make cancer cells more vulnerable to immune attack."
Other authors include Lisa M. DeCamp, Brandon M. Oswald, Ph.D., Robert Teis, Alfredo Reyes-Oliveras, Ph.D., Michael S. Dahabieh, Ph.D., Abigail E. Ellis, Michael P. Vincent, Ph.D., Hannah Damico, M.B., Kristin L. Gallik, Ph.D., Nicole M. Foy, Shelby E. Compton, Ph.D., Colt D. Capan, M.S., Kelsey S. Williams, Ph.D., Corinne R. Esquibel, Ph.D., Zachary B. Madaj, M.S., Hyoungjoo Lee, Ph.D., Connie Krawczyk, Ph.D., Brian B. Haab, Ph.D., and Ryan D. Sheldon, Ph.D., of VAI; and Dominic G. Roy, Ph.D., of Université de Montréal.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award no. R01AI165722 (Jones). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
A common hay fever nasal spray was found to cut COVID-19 infections by two-thirds in a clinical trial, while also reducing rhinovirus cases. Researchers believe it could serve as an easy, low-cost preventive measure, pending further studies.
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An allergy nasal spray dramatically reduced COVID-19 and cold infections in a trial, raising hopes for a simple new preventive tool. Credit: Shutterstock
The trial, led by Professor Robert Bals, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine V at Saarland University Medical Center and Professor of Internal Medicine at Saarland University, divided the 450 participants into two groups. The treatment group of 227 individuals used an azelastine nasal spray three times a day over a 56-day period. During that same period, the 223 participants in the control group used a placebo spray three times a day. Robert Bals summarized the key finding as follows: 'During the observation period, 2.2% of the participants in the azelastine group became infected with SARS-CoV-2; in the placebo group, it was 6.7% -- three times as many.' All infections were confirmed by PCR testing.
In addition to showing a marked reduction in coronavirus infections, the azelastine group also displayed fewer symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, a lower overall number of confirmed respiratory infections, and, unexpectedly, a reduced incidence of rhinovirus infections, another major cause of respiratory illness. In the treatment group, 1.8% developed a rhinovirus infection, compared to 6.3% in the placebo group -- a proportion similar to that seen for SARS-CoV-2.
Azelastine nasal spray has been available for decades as an over-the-counter treatment for hay fever. Previous in vitro studies on azelastine had already suggested antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. 'This clinical trial is the first to demonstrate a protective effect in a real-world setting,' says Professor Bals.
For Robert Bals, the results suggest practical applications: 'Azelastine nasal spray could provide an additional easily accessible prophylactic to complement existing protective measures, especially for vulnerable groups, during periods of high infection rates, or before travelling.' But Professor Bals also stressed the importance of further research: 'Our results highlight the need for larger, multicentre trials to continue exploring the use of azelastine nasal sprays as an on-demand preventive treatment, and to examine its potential effectiveness against other respiratory pathogens.'
Besides Professor Bals, the randomized, double-blind phase 2 study 'CONTAIN' also involved the Institute of Clinical Pharmacy (Professor Thorsten Lehr, Dr. Dominik Selzer), the Institute of Virology (Professor Sigrun Smola), and the Saarbrücken-based pharmaceutical company URSAPHARM Arzneimittel GmbH, which sponsored the study and manufactured the investigational product. The Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) contributed through the research groups of Professor Smola and Professor Bals. The project serves as an excellent example of successful collaboration between academic research, industry partners and public health initiatives in the Saarland region.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Saarland University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Thorsten Lehr, Peter Meiser, Dominik Selzer, Torben Rixecker, Frank Holzer, Ralph Mösges, Sigrun Smola, Robert Bals, Veronika Alberg, Florian Bub, Nicholas Biwank, Charlotte Dette, Lale Dastgir, Alina Kuntz, Christopher Hale, Johanna Sophie Kapp, Kathrin Litzenburger, Henning Morr, Johanna Wagner, Hacer Sahin, Nelli Schröder, Martina Seibert, Katrin Thieser, Quirin Werthner. Azelastine Nasal Spray for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infections. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2025; DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.4283[1]
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Saarland University. "Common allergy spray slashes COVID-19 risk in surprising trial." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 September 2025. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250907024535.htm>.
Saarland University. (2025, September 7). Common allergy spray slashes COVID-19 risk in surprising trial. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 7, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250907024535.htm
Saarland University. "Common allergy spray slashes COVID-19 risk in surprising trial." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250907024535.htm (accessed September 7, 2025).
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