Developing a ready-to-use cell therapy to fight cancer more effectively

Aura Muntasell

Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB), Barcelona, Spain

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with many patients facing poor outcomes, especially when their disease spreads or becomes resistant to current treatments. One of the promising new approaches is based on using special immune cells that naturally seek and destroy cancer cells. These cells, called natural killers, have already shown good results in treating blood cancers. However, their effect against solid tumours, like those in the colon or breast, has been limited. This is because solid tumours often create a hostile environment that weakens these immune cells and prevents them from working properly.

This project has now developed a new way to make these natural killer cells stronger and more resistant to the harmful effects caused by substances released by tumours. With a simple change in these cells, they are able to keep working and attacking tumours, even when exposed to the substances that usually slow them down. In laboratory and animal experiments, these improved immune cells showed remarkable ability to find and destroy cancer, even when the tumours tried to defend themselves.

The goal is to turn this discovery into a safe and effective treatment that doctors can give to cancer patients. To achieve this, the researchers will make sure the new cells are safe, can be produced in large quantities, and meet all the requirements for use in hospitals. The project also aims to set up a new company to bring this therapy to patients as quickly as possible, and to explore combinations with other therapies for even better results.

In summary, this project could lead to a new kind of cancer treatment, offering hope to many people whose cancer is not responding to current options, and moving us closer to a future where more patients can overcome their disease.

TAR-NK: A TGF-β- and Activin A-Resistant off-the-shelf NK cell product for cancer treatment

Stage 2