Yale researchers discover process to make WBC for treating cancer

The newfound therapy is not patient-specific as was the case with earlier T-cell therapy. The new CAR-NK therapy creates WBC that can be used on multiple patients. The cancer treatment is comparatively safer.

Yale researchers have come up with a new possible treatment for cancer in future. Yale University study has found a new way to create a type of white blood cell (WBC) which is also called a natural killer cell. This finding is promising for cancer treatment in future as these WBCs kill damaged, infected or malignant cells in the body.

This therapy is known as CAR-NK therapy it uses natural killer cells and not T cells as used in earlier treatments. The new therapy is currently undergoing clinical trials which addressed some shortcomings.

However, the treatment is equally effective as T cells but much safer. Unlike T-cells, natural killer cells can be created with donor natural killer cells that means it can be “off the shelf” and can be used in multiple patients rather than only on a specific patient.

“But the limitation is that CAR-NK cells cannot efficiently get into solid tumours, like breast or colorectal tumours, they’re not effective against them,” said Sidi Chen, associate professor of genetics at Yale School of Medicine and senior author of the new study.

In the study, the researchers set out to find natural killer cell checkpoints that can be targeted to boost cell activity in tumours.

“We found that knocking out CALHM2 made natural killer cells more potent in terms of cancer-killing, more efficient in terms of infiltrating the tumour, and more efficient in producing anti-tumour cytokines, proteins that are key to immune system cell signalling. And this was true across multiple cancer types," added Chen.

T Cell Treatment Details

CAR-T cell therapy was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2017. For this treatment, the T cells of the patient are taken from blood and modified genetically to identify the cancer cells and these cells are then returned to the patient's body. This has been a successful treatment while treating blood cancers, said the Yale University statement.

Sidi Chen, associate professor of genetics at Yale School of Medicine and senior author of the new study said, "It can be very toxic. Many patients experience severe side effects of CAR-T such as cytokine release syndrome, which can make them very sick or even kill them.”

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