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Scientists at UCLA have developed a cell-based immunotherapy that can be tracked and killed. pancreatic cancer cells Even after metastasizing to other organs.
Studies in mice showed that the treatment slowed cancer growth, prolonged survival, and persisted in the harsh environment of solid tumors.
“Even when cancer tries to evade one attack route by changing its molecular signature, our therapy attacks the cancer from multiple other angles simultaneously. Tumors cannot adapt quickly enough,” lead author Dr. Yanruide Lee, a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA, said in a press release.
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To build this treatment, researchers did the following: human stem cells They then turned them into a special type of immune cell called invariant natural killer T cells (NKT cells).
They then genetically engineered those cells by adding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that allows them to recognize and attack pancreatic cancer cells.
UCLA scientists have developed an off-the-shelf CAR-NKT cell therapy that kills pancreatic tumors in multiple preclinical models. (St. Petersburg)
NKT cells are naturally compatible with all cells. immune systemResearchers say this means it can enter the body without causing any dangerous reactions. Donated blood stem cells can also be used for mass production.
According to a press release, “a single donor can provide enough cells for thousands of treatments,” potentially offering a more affordable and accessible approach.
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The team tested the treatment in several laboratory models. These include: cancer was placed Some are given directly to the pancreas, while others are designed to mimic how the disease spreads to other organs, such as the liver or lungs.
The CAR-NKT cells were able to invade the tumor itself, rather than remaining outside like many immunotherapies, the researchers found.
The researchers emphasized that each dose costs about $5,000, much less than personalized CAR-T treatments. (St. Petersburg)
Once these genetically engineered immune cells enter the body, cancer cells Attack in several different ways and kill attacks using multiple built-in attack methods.
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Most importantly, they stayed active. Many immune cells that invade solid tumors are quickly overwhelmed and shut down, but these engineered cells were able to keep working instead of burning out and continue fighting cancer for a longer period of time.
The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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“Development of therapies that target both the primary tumor and its metastases” Preclinical research It is off-the-shelf and ready-to-use, and represents a fundamental change in the way this disease is treated,” senior author Lili Yang, Ph.D., professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at UCLA, said in the same press release.
The researchers noted that the cost for a single dose could be around $5,000, much lower than personalized CAR-T treatments.
This therapy can be produced in large quantities from donor stem cells, potentially reducing costs and expanding access. (St. Petersburg)
According to researchers, pancreatic cancer is notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat. Most patients are not diagnosed until the disease is already widespread, and the biology of the tumor forms multiple physical and chemical barriers that weaken the effects of infection. traditional treatment.
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The therapy targets proteins common to breast, ovarian, and lung cancers, so the same cell product could potentially treat multiple types of cancer.
In a separate study, the research team has already demonstrated the effectiveness of the treatment for triple negative. breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Most patients are not diagnosed until the disease has already spread, and the biology of the tumor creates multiple physical and chemical barriers that reduce the effectiveness of conventional treatments. (St. Petersburg)
Based on early discoveriesUCLA researchers are preparing to submit an application to the Food and Drug Administration to begin human trials.
“We have developed a treatment that is powerful, safe, scalable and affordable,” Yang said in the release. “The next important step is to prove that we can deliver the same results in patients that we saw in preclinical studies.”
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As the researchers noted, all previous experiments were conducted in mice. human solid tumors is much more complex. Human tumors can evolve and lose the targets that treatments are designed to recognize, increasing the risk that the cancer will continue to grow undetected.
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Long-term safety and side effects in humans are unknown until clinical trials begin.
The researchers also noted that producing large quantities of identical, safe cells poses logistical and regulatory challenges.
