We spoke before about NK (natural killer) cells. In that context, they were being used for solid tumor cancer treatment. New research now find they also have utility against leukemia and lymphoma.
What also is different in this case is that the NK cells are transferred from a healthy individual to a cancer patient. This process is termed allogeneic NK cell adoptive transfer. But, the issue is that these NK cells have lower survival rates. Which is where the bulk of the research seems to be devoted- to afford the NK cells longer viability.
Dr. Frank Cichocki (University of Minnesota), along with 16 compatriots from the U of M, along with three from Gamida Cell (Israel), and one each from Temple and the University of Pennsylvania described the research in the article “Natural Killer Cells Could be the Key to New Treatment Options for Blood Cancers” in Science Translational Medicine.
How did they enhance the cells? They treated the NK cells (which had been removed from a healthy donor) in the lab with interleukin 15 (IL-15), a cytokine that activates NK cells and nicotinamide (NAM) a form of vitamin B3. This process necessitated the development and adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices protocols (GMP), to ensure the products would be safe for human use.
The NK cells also were accompanied by rituximab (a monoclonal antibody) and the cytokine to ensure NK survival and replication. The concoction was administered in a phase I study of 20 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 10 with follicular lymphoma, nine with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, and one with mantle cell lymphoma. The research reported a 74% response rate.
That’s a great start- we;ll be tracking where this goes from here.
