At the University of Antwerp (UA), researchers have developed a new immune cell therapy that destroys the immune shield around tumors. The new therapy would be a breakthrough in the fight against pancreatic and colon cancer.
Tumors in the pancreas or colon are shielded by a shield of connective tissue, which makes radiation difficult. A new immune cell therapy has now been developed for this problem that can destroy both connective tissue cells and cancer cells, according to a press release from the university.
Professor Evelien Smits’ team discovered that both cancer cells and connective tissue cells carry a certain molecule. That is why, with the support of Kom op tegen Kanker, they developed a new immune cell therapy that specifically targets that molecule.
“The new cell therapy consists of ‘natural killer cells’,” says Astrid Van den Eynde, who conducted the research. “Such cells are the ‘special forces’ of our immune system. They recognize cancer cells and destroy them. This makes them the ideal immune cells to fight cancer.”
The researchers have modified the ‘natural killer cells’ in a laboratory to target the cancer even more. “We have equipped them with a kind of extra gripping arm,” says Van den Eynde. “That arm recognizes the molecule on the connective tissue cells and destroys the correct cells in the tumor.”
And there are still advantages. Researchers can produce the cells on a large scale from the blood of healthy donors, reducing the cost per treatment. As a next step, the researchers want to test the new immune cell therapy in other cancer types.
