Scientists develop new method to produce natural killer cells for cancer

Washington, June 11 (ANI): Scientists have come up with a novel method to produce cells that kill tumour cells in the lab and prevent tumours forming in mouse models of cancer.

Although the current work is in cells and mouse, if the research transfers to human biology, the new type of cell could be a new source for cell-based anticancer therapies.

The cells were produced by knocking out a single gene essential in the pathways of development of immune cells: the modified cells become a novel type, which the authors call Induced T to Natural Killer Cells (ITNK cells).

Many cell types cooperate in the immune system to battle invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, and to remove abnormal or dead cells. T lymphocytes/T cells play an important part in defending against pathogens and abnormal self cells. They are thought also to play a role in autoimmune disease.

In this research, T cells were transformed into cells similar to another type, Natural Killer (NK) cells, which commonly act against viruses and cancer cells.

"We have been examining ways to produce clinically useful immune system cells," said Peng Li, first author of the study, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

"We had shown that a gene called Bcl11b was essential for normal development of immune system cells - and of particular interest in the development of T cells.

"Here we can see the fruits of that work: we show, for the first time, that we can modify the developmental fate of immune system cells to produce a novel type that - if we can see the same effect in humans - could be of enormous value in cancer treatment," Li added. (ANI)