Now, Michel Sadelain and colleagues combined these methods to grow an unlimited supply of tumor-specific T cells and demonstrated the ability of the cells to control tumors in mice. The authors started with a small number of T cells isolated from the blood of a healthy person, reprogrammed the cells into stem cells, and engineered the stem cells to express a tumor-specific receptor. The stem cells were coaxed to reacquire their original T cell properties, expanded to large numbers, and then injected into tumor-bearing mice. Sadelain and colleagues found that the lab-grown T cells suppressed tumor growth in the mice to an extent similar to that of natural T cells that were isolated from the blood of the same person and engineered to express the same tumor-specific receptor. If the approach can be translated to the clinic, many more patients could become eligible to receive this type of cancer immunotherapy.

Maria Themeli, Christopher C Kloss, Giovanni Ciriello, Victor D Fedorov, Fabiana Perna, Mithat Gonen & Michel Sadelain

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: