Researchers at The Rockefeller University have reported that when cells run short of the amino acid arginine, they stop making enough of the surface molecules that allow the immune system to recognize infected and cancerous cells. In mice, correcting the shortage through diet reduced colon tumors and improved outcomes from influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The work was published in the journal Cell on July 30, and the animal results are the findings. This is laboratory and mouse research. It has not been tested in people, and the senior author said so directly.
