Natural Killer Cells That are Genetically Modified Show Potential in Cancer Immunotherapy

Under normal circumstances, natural killer cells in the body can detect and eliminate malignant cells. However, these NK cells can at times be unable to breach the defense mechanisms of tumors, rendering the killer cells unable to combat the growing cancer.

A recent pre-clinical study suggests that natural killer cells can be tweaked in a bid to boost their ability to fight cancerous cells. This study’s findings appeared in the Nature Immunology journal and the work was a collaborative effort between several universities and companies. These included Pompeu Fabra University, Karolinska Institutet located in Sweden, a Germany-based company called Miltenyi and a Netherlands-based company called Glycostem Therapeutics.

To boost the cancer-fighting capability of NK lymphocytes, the team leveraged a genetic editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9. The editing tool eliminated the gene responsible for the vulnerability of the killer cells to the defenses of tumor cells. Once that gene was eliminated, the killer cells would no longer be susceptible to being rendered inactive while attacking the cancer cells.

The tests they conducted in mice and test tubes confirmed that modified NK cells can reach tumors, penetrate and destroy tumor cells by breaching their protective outer layers.

Dr. Aura Muntasell, who participated in the study, explains that their tests showed that modified killer cells had an improved capacity to arrest tumor development when compared to killer cells that hadn’t undergone genetic modification. Muntasell added that the modified NK cells had an even greater efficacy if they were deployed alongside other NK-based anti-cancer immune therapies.

The study authors indicate that their approach can also work when NK cells are obtained using other methods, such as those expressing CAR (chimeric antigen receptors).

Currently, NK-based treatments have been successful against blood cancers. However, the same cannot be said for solid tumors. This research opens the possibility of leveraging these natural killer cells so that effective lymphocyte-based solid tumor treatments can be developed.

The success documented by this study offers hope to patients whose solid tumors have been unresponsive to existing immunotherapies. There is still plenty of work to do before this approach can be used on human subjects, but the ground has been laid and future studies can build on this work so that clinical trials and eventual regulatory approval can be secured to make the treatment available to the patients who need it.

With many other entities like Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) also conducting R&D activities aimed at producing immune-oncology treatments, the future is bright for patients seeking effective immunotherapies against the solid tumors that afflict them.

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