SUMMARY
UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a novel method to generate dead tumors cells for use in cancer therapeutics.
BACKGROUND
Cancer is a deadly disease that causes approximately 10 million yearly deaths across the globe. While solid tumors may often be fully resected by surgery, the treatment of hematologic malignancies like leukemia is more challenging and primarily depends on therapeutics. The gold standard leukemia treatment strategy is live cell therapy, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells. However, these cells are rare, difficult to culture, and may have adverse side-effects, resulting in large financial or health costs to patients. Adaptation of alterative cell types as anti-tumor agents would nicely complement the existing arsenal of leukemia treatment strategies.
INNOVATION:
Scientists at UCLA have designed a method of “killing” live tumor cells using liquid nitrogen to produce dead tumor cells. The structure of these dead cells remains intact, and the cells have similar cell size and protein composition compared to live cells. Although the liquid nitrogen treated tumor cells stopped proliferating, they were able to present antigens to dendritic cells, activating dendritic cell maturation and expression of CD40, CD80, CD86 and MHC II. Tumor progression significantly decreased in C57BL/6J mice upon administration of a dead tumor cell vaccine. These dead tumor cells have the potential to be used as tumor vaccines or serve as drug carriers of immunotherapy and chemotherapy drugs.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
- Tumor vaccine for the treatment of cancer
- Vehicle for the delivery of chemotherapy or immunotherapy therapeutics for the treatment of cancer
ADVANTAGES:
- Cellular structure and protein/cytokine composition are largely maintained during the quick and efficient “killing” process
- Present antigens to dendritic cells and initiate dendritic cell maturation by upregulating of surface proteins
- Dead cells may serve as vaccines themselves, or be used as drug delivery vectors of anti-tumor therapeutics
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:
Prepared dead tumor cells from the murine acute myeloid leukemia cell line C149 have been validated in vitro and in vivo to effectively inhibit cellular proliferation with no obvious adverse effects.
Related Papers (from the inventors only)
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