Researchers at USC Stem Cell have developed a method to produce large numbers of immune cell precursors that can be engineered to target cancer. The approach, published in the journal Cell, uses granulocyte-monocyte progenitors that self-renew in the laboratory.
The team, led by Qi-Long Ying, showed that these progenitors can be expanded extensively while retaining their ability to generate functional macrophages and other immune cells. In mouse studies, the cells settled in bone marrow and continuously produced engineered immune cells that slowed progression of blood cancers and solid tumors.
Scientists equipped the progenitors with a chimeric antigen receptor to recognize cancer markers and added a second signal to activate surrounding immune cells. This combination worked even when donor and recipient cells were mismatched, raising the possibility of off-the-shelf therapies.
The method was independently confirmed by a laboratory at Stanford University. Researchers also tested the cells in mice with an inherited immune disorder and found they restored the ability to fight bacterial infections.
"The study establishes a scalable and engineerable GMP platform for cellular immunotherapy," Ying said.
