IL-2 discovery transforms medicine after 50 years
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Fifty years ago, Robert C. Gallo and colleagues discovered interleukin-2 (IL-2), a human T-cell growth factor, which sparked advances in understanding the human immune system and treating diseases.
This discovery enabled scientists to grow human T cells in laboratories, leading to the identification of the first human retroviruses, HTLV-1 and HTLV-2, and establishing the field of human retrovirology. The ability to maintain these cells in culture also proved crucial for discovering HIV and developing a test for the virus.
Later, IL-2 became a central tool in developing new cancer treatments like tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy and CAR-T cell therapy. Scientists at the Global Virus Network (GVN), co-founded by Gallo, reflected on these achievements at a symposium and published their perspective in Science. They emphasized that the initial research had no immediate application in mind, demonstrating the importance of funding basic, curiosity-driven science. GVN will continue this scientific exchange at a symposium in Venice, Italy in March 2027.
Gallo continues to lead research at the University of South Florida Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation.
