Health & Medicine, UK (Commonwealth Union) – Today’s publication in the journal Cell reveals a groundbreaking finding by scientists at Cardiff University. They have made an exciting discovery concerning killer T-cells in patients who have effectively eradicated end-stage solid cancer.
In contrast to the conventional belief that individual killer T-cells recognize only a single target on cancer cells, the researchers found a remarkable form of killer T-cell. These dominant and successful killer T-cells possess the unique ability to identify multiple cancer-associated targets simultaneously.
The team’s study introduces a novel class of “multipronged” cells, distinct from previously studied T-cells, that exhibit superior properties. These extraordinary cells can mount attacks against cancer cells using multiple approaches simultaneously, representing a promising advancement in the fight against cancer.
Scientists at the National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy in Herlev, Denmark (CCIT-DK), conducted a phase I/II clinical trial over the last decade, focusing on patients with late-stage solid cancer who underwent TIL (Tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte) therapy. This innovative therapy involves extracting white blood cells (lymphocytes) from the patient’s tumor, cultivating them in significant numbers within a laboratory, and reintroducing them into the patient’s body to aid the immune system in targeting and destroying cancer cells. CCIT-DK has been at the forefront of pioneering TIL therapy in Europe.
Among the 31 patients who received TIL therapy, the researchers specifically observed those who successfully cleared their cancer. Subsequently, they examined blood cells from these cancer survivors and exposed them to preserved samples of their own tumor cells to investigate how T-cells responded.
Remarkably, even more than a year after eliminating cancer, these survivors exhibited robust responses from killer T-cells targeted against their own cancer cells. The researchers then delved deeper to understand how these killer T-cells could distinguish between cancer cells and healthy cells.
By employing advanced algorithms, the team accurately predicted the specific cancer-related T-cells based on their reactions and the unique proteins that differed between healthy and cancerous cells. Notably, the newly discovered ‘multipronged’ T-cells demonstrated an exceptional ability to recognize various protein alterations within cancer cells. These ‘multipronged’ T-cells were identified in multiple cancer survivors, presenting a promising avenue for further research and potential therapeutic applications.
Leading the research effort was Professor Andy Sewell from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine. He and his team sought answers to understand how certain patients with advanced-stage cancer, who had received TIL therapy, managed to effectively clear their cancer.
To find these answers, they examined the blood of individuals whose cancer had been completely eradicated after undergoing TIL therapy. By doing so, they successfully identified the T-cells responsible for the successful outcomes. These identified T-cells were put to the test against the person’s own cancer cells, cancer cells from other patients, and even different types of cancer cells.
“A multipronged killer T-cell from a cancer survivor was shown to be substantially better at recognising cancer than a normal anticancer killer T-cell”, said Professor Andy Sewell.
“In addition, the ability to simultaneously respond to multiple cancer-associated proteins meant that these T-cells could respond to most types of cancer as cancers only needed to express one of the aberrant targets to be identified as dangerous and killed.”
The recent study demonstrates that T-cells in cancer survivors possess the remarkable ability to recognize multiple targets simultaneously, enabling them to effectively combat a diverse array of cancers. However, to firmly establish the connection between these multipronged T-cells and cancer clearance, additional research involving larger groups of patients will be necessary.
Successfully deciphering the specific targets recognized by T-cells represents a significant goal in the field of Cancer Grand Challenges. This achievement has the potential to revolutionize future cancer treatments by providing valuable insights into the precise targets recognized by the anticancer T-cells responsible for successfully eradicating cancer in patients. Such knowledge could lead to substantial advancements in cancer treatment strategies.
