Breakthrough Immunotherapy created by UCLA
By Ayushi Gon
The team of scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed a novel cell-based immunotherapy capable of effectively tracking down and eliminating pancreatic cancer cells, even after they have spread to other parts of the body. It is an off-the-shelf treatment, which is supposed to be given to any patient without any special adjustment.
The Major Advances in Preclinical Models.
The therapy was shown to be very effective in research carried out on mice and was able to slow the growth of cancer and increase the life span of the animals. The engineered cells, which were referred to as CAR-NKT cells, demonstrated the capability of infiltrating the center of dense and solid tumors, which is a significant obstacle that usually constrains the efficacy of other immune therapies. Moreover, these cells, unlike most immune cells, which are lost in exhaustion in the severe tumor environment, were active in the long run, fighting the cancer. According to the author lead Dr. Yanruide Li, the treatment simultaneously targets the tumor on various angles, which causes the cancer to not adapt or evade treatment.
The Technology: CAR-NKT Cells
The treatment involves the specialized form of immune cells, known as the invariant Natural Killer T cell (NKT cell). The scientists cloned human stem cells and transformed them into NKT cells, and then modified the NKT cells in the form of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that enables the cells to specifically target and attack pancreatic cancer cells. This is very beneficial since NKT cells are intrinsically approved to any immigration of the recipients, and this method can remove the chance of perilous rejection responses that are common in most other donor-cell therapies.
Scalability and Affordability.
One of the advantages of this development is the ability to perform mass production. The off-the-shelf quality of it implies the fact that cells of one donor have the potential to produce thousands of treatments and this is able to be manufactured in a large scale and in a short period. The accessibility of the treatment was highlighted by senior author Dr. Lili Yang, with researchers estimating that a single dose could cost around 5000 dollars, a significant reduction over the cost of customized CAR-T cell therapy, and would make the treatment more accessible to patients.
Future Outlook
Pancreatic cancer is characteristically violent and incurable, and is usually found out when it has spread (metastasized). The results, which are reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), are an important step in the right direction. In addition, a target protein employed in this treatment is likewise found in other malignancies, such as breast and ovarian cancer, and therefore, the same single-cell product has the potential to treat several types of cancer. The UCLA team is in the process of making applications to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate human testing on this innovative cure.