French and Swiss Scientist Develop Engineered Natural Killer Cells for Treating Glioblastoma
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Feb 12, 2025 3 hours, 30 minutes ago
Medical News: A New Approach to Treating a Deadly Brain Cancer
Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer, leaving patients with very few treatment options. The standard approach involves surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. However, even with these treatments, survival rates remain low, often averaging just 15 months. Now, scientists from CYTEA BIO in Montpellier, France, and MedXCell in Montreux, Switzerland, have developed a promising new therapy using natural killer (NK) cells to target glioblastoma cells.
French and Swiss Scientist Develop Engineered Natural Killer Cells for Treating Glioblastoma
How This New Treatment Works
This
Medical News report highlights an innovative method where natural killer (NK) cells are “armed” with a specially engineered antibody, Pin-EGFR, to help them recognize and attack glioblastoma cells. These NK cells come from umbilical cord blood, making them an allogeneic (donor-derived) cell therapy. Researchers designed Pin-EGFR to attach to the NK cells and enhance their ability to target glioblastoma cells that express a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is often overproduced in these tumors.
In laboratory experiments, these armed NK cells demonstrated strong, specific, and rapid killing of glioblastoma cells. Unlike traditional therapies, this approach uses the immune system itself to fight cancer, providing a more precise attack on tumor cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
Study Findings Reveal Encouraging Results
The research team conducted a series of in vitro experiments to test the effectiveness of Pin-EGFR-armed NK cells. They found that:
-The engineered NK cells successfully retained the Pin-EGFR antibody for up to 72 hours, allowing them to maintain their cancer-fighting capabilities for a prolonged period.
-When exposed to glioblastoma cells, the armed NK cells initiated a rapid attack, killing a significant portion of the tumor cells within just a few hours.
-The therapy was highly effective against multiple glioblastoma cell lines, including those derived from actual patients, suggesting its potential in personalized medicine.
-Even in an immunosuppressive environment similar to that of the brain, the NK cells remained functional and continued to destroy cancer cells.
-The treatment also showed compatibility with the standard chemotherapy drug temozolomide, meaning it could be used in combination with existing therapies.
These results indicate that this new form of immunotherapy could be a powerful tool in the fight against glioblastoma.
Why This Discovery Matters
Unlike traditional treatments, which rely on surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, NK cell therapy offers a targeted approach that uses the body’s natural immune defenses. This
method has several advantages:
-Greater specificity: The NK cells are trained to attack only the cancerous cells while sparing normal brain tissue.
-Reduced side effects: Because the therapy does not rely on genetic modifications or heavy doses of toxic chemicals, patients may experience fewer adverse effects.
-Potential for widespread use: The use of donor-derived NK cells means the treatment could be available to a large number of patients without the need for individualized genetic modifications.
What Comes Next
While these results are promising, further research is needed before the therapy can be tested in clinical trials. The next steps will involve refining the technique and conducting additional safety studies to ensure the NK cells perform as expected in human patients. If successful, this therapy could revolutionize how glioblastoma is treated, offering hope to thousands of patients worldwide.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Cells.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/4/254
For the latest on Glioblastoma, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/plant-lectins-show-promise-for-treating-brain-cancer
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-and-glioblastoma-onset
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/swiss-researchers-unveil-new-insights-into-the-role-of-mirnas-in-glioblastoma-development-and-treatment
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