Scientists supercharge natural killer cells to fight aggressive cancers
Key takeaways
- Scientists have developed a new way to strengthen the cancer-fighting abilities of natural killer (NK) cells, a type of immune cell that serves as one of the body's first defenses against disease.
- In preclinical studies, the enhanced immune cells successfully killed human cancer cells from several aggressive cancers, including leukemia, glioblastoma, kidney cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer.
- "This approach is particularly promising for patients who currently have very few options, when standard treatments have failed," said senior author Michel L.
Why this matters: new research or scientific developments with potential real-world impact.
Scientists have developed a new way to strengthen the cancer-fighting abilities of natural killer (NK) cells, a type of immune cell that serves as one of the body's first defenses against disease. The strategy could help these cells overcome the protective barriers many tumors use to avoid being destroyed.
Researchers at Mc Gill University's Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, working with the Research Institute of the Mc Gill University Health Centre, discovered that blocking two specific proteins dramatically improves the ability of NK cells to attack cancer.
In preclinical studies, the enhanced immune cells successfully killed human cancer cells from several aggressive cancers, including leukemia, glioblastoma, kidney cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer. The treatment approach also significantly slowed tumor growth in animal models.