Illustration of CAR T-cell therapy targeting multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer
Nemes Laszlo/Alamy
CAR T-cell therapy has the potential to transform cancer treatment. This innovative treatment genetically alters immune cells to combat diseases but is both complex and costly. Researchers have recently achieved the ability to develop personalized therapies within the bodies of non-human animals.
This form of treatment is primarily accessible in the UK and the US for select patients with various blood cancers, such as certain leukemias, where B cells—crucial immune components—grow uncontrollably. The process entails extracting T cells from a patient’s blood, genetically modifying them to target and destroy B cells, then duplicating and reintroducing these modified cells back into the patient’s body.
Nonetheless, this method is time-intensive. “You need to take the blood and send it to the Central Manufacturing Institute before it can be returned,” explains Carl June from the University of Pennsylvania. “This makes scaling the process challenging.” Additionally, the treatment comes at a steep price: over $500,000 per patient.
In search of a more efficient method, June and his team focused on gene molecules that deliver instructions to produce proteins that target B cells. They encapsulated these molecules in fat droplets, allowing entry into T cells, where they can identify and eliminate B cells. However, this effect is temporary, as the RNA code degrades within a week.
The researchers injected cancerous human B cells and healthy T cells into mice lacking an immune system. After a week, they administered five fat droplets to these mice over a span of two weeks, with some receiving higher doses.
Three weeks later, the mice that received the highest dose displayed no detectable tumor cells and no side effects. “The level of tumor cells was as minimal as we could measure,” remarks June.
The team also administered fat droplets to 22 healthy monkeys, resulting in the production of CAR T cells within their bodies and completely eradicating all B cells within just one day. Although B cells are essential for antibody production, the treatment was well tolerated by all but one monkey, which experienced a severe inflammatory response.
“This is truly remarkable,” says Karin Straathof from University College London. This could represent a significantly easier and more affordable method for implementing CAR T-cell therapy, she asserts.
However, one downside of standard CAR T-cell therapies is their ability to provide long-lasting protection, notes Straathof. The newly developed technique temporarily produces these cells; if cancer returns, additional treatments will be necessary. Furthermore, the effectiveness and safety of this approach in humans remain unverified, pending clinical trials.
June confirms that the team is currently testing the method in healthy humans. “The first patient was treated in the past few weeks,” he states.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
