New cancer immunotherapy can kill target cancer cells

Researchers have developed a manual structure that can mimic cell membranes which can "open" immune cells and let it attack and destroy a specified target. According to research using recombinant horse proteins, this approach may be used as a cancer immunotherapy in the future, and it also provides a more in-depth understanding about how immune cells are activated to find and kill cancer cells. The results of the study were published recently at a joint meeting between the UK and the Dutch Society of Immunology. The meeting was held in Liverpool, England.

Immunotherapy is to make the body's own immune system attack cancer cells, and it is the most promising new form of cancer treatment. For this effective immunotherapy, we need to understand how the immune system recognizes cancer cells and reacts to cancer cells. This requires antigen presenting cells (APCs) to present proteins (or antigens) on tumor cells. Antigen-presenting cells are a group of immune cells that are responsible for coordinating the immune response.

PhD student Loek Eggermont and research team from the figdor lab at the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands have solved this problem by developing artificial antigen presenting cells. They developed a filamentous polymer scaffold that possesses a specific structure that mimics the antigen presenting cells of the cell membrane. This kind of stent is embedded with a variety of different T cell activating proteins. In vitro studies, they found that this artificial antigen - presenting cells were able to activate the effects of human T cells on their proliferation and differentiation. They also found that different receptors on T cells must pass through their artificial antigens close to each other, and T cells can achieve optimal activation.

These findings help us better understand the mechanism of T cell activation, that is, what signals these cells need to start attacking cancer cells, and it provides a promising way to study the development of more effective immunotherapy. The group's goal now is to make this polymer more specific to cancer proteins, making it possible to induce T cells to attack cancer cells. After that, the system needs to be tested. The mouse model as a first assessment to assess whether it can be used to effectively treat cancer in the body.

"Immunotherapy is largely dependent on the proper activation of immune cells, such as T cells, to detect and destroy tumor cells. Currently, immunotherapy against cancer mainly relies on activation of non-specific immune systems," said a researcher at the Radboud University Medical Center.

"We have demonstrated in-vitro studies that artificial antigen-presenting cells are effective in activating T cells and our findings also help us to better understand the mechanisms underlying this T cell activation. Although more research is needed to find out whether the system works in animal models, we hope that one day it will bring new development to cancer immunotherapy." Flarebio provides superior recombinant proteins including recombinant ECE1 at competitive prices.