Recently, research conducted by the Imperial College London research team published in the journal Cancer Cell showed that a large-scale production of supercharged NK cells can effectively fight cancer. This personalized treatment involves reprogramming of immune cells or marks the next generation of cutting-edge immunotherapy following CAR-T therapy.
In this latest study funded by the charity Bloodwise, the researchers created a genetically engineered version of the cell called "CAR19-iNKT." As shown above, CAR19-iNKT targets both CD19 and CD1d, and is protected by aGVHD (acute graft-versus-host disease) through its iTCR integrity, and αGalCer and ATRA are responsive to CAR19-iNKT cells.
It is well known that current CAR-T cell therapies are tailored to each cancer patient and are very expensive, costing about ￡300,000 per patient. But the scientists behind the current study say that their new CAR-T therapy can solve this thorny problem, can be mass-produced and no longer subject to individual restrictions, a batch of products can be used for multiple patients at the same time, hopefully Reduce treatment costs by a factor of ten.
New research shows that CAR19-iNKT eliminates all cancer cells in 60% of mice, and 90% of mice experience long-term survival. Currently, researchers are considering human trials.
Create a cell anti-cancer army
Professor Anastasios Karadimitris, senior author of the paper, said: "The results of early research indicate that this well-designed hyperdynamic immune cell in the laboratory is expected to become a new treatment option for cancer patients.
Among them, CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) therapy is a new type of immunotherapy, which involves extracting an immune cell from the blood of a patient and engineering it in the laboratory to obtain accurate recognition and destruction of cancer. Hyperdynamic immune cells of cells. Then, the engineered new anti-cancer cells are multiplied in the laboratory, and finally, the anti-cancer army is smoothly returned to the patient to play a role.
Currently, this approach has been approved for the treatment of leukemias and lymphomas, and has resulted in up to one-third of patients without other treatment options entering the long-term complete remission period. In this regard, Professor Karadimitris of the Imperial College of Hematology at the London Imperial College explained that this means that we can provide patients with a promising treatment, not just talking about hospice with patients.
CAR19-iNKT Cell Therapy
The CAR therapy we mentioned above is based on T cell reprogramming. However, in this new study, scientists at Imperial College London used a different type of immune cell, iNKT.
Although these cells are very rare in vivo, the researchers found that CAR19-iNKT is more effective at eliminating cancer cells than CAR-T cells. In the mouse lymphoma model, 90% of mice treated with CAR19-iNKT cells achieved long-term survival, while mice treated with CAR-T achieved a survival rate of only 60%.
At the same time, targeting CD19 and CD1d may induce a deeper anti-tumor response, limit immune escape associated with loss of CAR target, and ultimately reduce disease recurrence. The mice with the highest tumor burden in the early stage subsequently relapsed after receiving immunotherapy. After receiving CAR19-iNKT treatment, a second remission was observed in four of the mice, further highlighting the importance of early deep remission.
In addition, the researchers were surprised to find that CAR19-iNKT cells can reach the brain and can also cope with large tumors. This means that one day, the technology is used to treat brain tumors as well as other cancers such as prostate and ovarian cancer.
Anti-cancer choice worth looking forward to
Dr. Alasdair Rankin, Bloodwise's Director of Hematology Research, said: "At present, the CAR-T drug introduced by the NHS of the UK National Health System is effective for a large number of patients, but not everyone, and the cost of treatment is quite expensive."
"Although the comparison of CAR19-iNKT is still in its early stages, it depicts the future of this treatment. Cheap, mass-produced, and highly effective anti-tumor activity is worth looking forward to. If successful, it will Bringing life-saving treatments to more patients."
Dr. Antonia Rotolo, the first author of the study, explained: "Currently, the production of CAR-T cells requires the use of patients' own T cells. But iNKT cells can come from healthy individuals and are different from T cells and do not need to be matched to patients. This means that CAR19-iNKT cell therapy can achieve spot treatment, ie off the shelf.
In addition, she added that the next step in the technology is to test on patients. Although its team has demonstrated in animal experiments that this method can eliminate cancer cells, it cannot predict potential side effects. Therefore, the researchers will study this through patient trials.
