Will Programmable Immune "Cellbots" Be the Next Weapon Against Cancer? UCSF Study
Cancer immunotherapy has captured the medical world’s attention, knocking out a few types of cancer in a small portion of the most desperate patients. But it has bumped into many limitations.
Researcher Wendell Lim (pictured) and his lab mates at the University of California, San Francisco, believe they can improve upon early immunotherapies by rewiring a key component of the immune system: the roving attack dogs called T cells that sniff out and kill intruders. They also think their idea could work beyond cancer on other diseases, as well.
The Lim Lab’s latest paper, published Thursday in the journal Cell, describes how they reprogrammed T cells to do two things: sense when they’re near a tumor with particular markings on its surface, and produce drugs on the spot to kill only the tumor cells. The work is based in part on the way cells communicate with each other in group settings to carry out complex tasks, like forming a limb or an organ.
Researcher Wendell Lim (pictured) and his lab mates at the University of California, San Francisco, believe they can improve upon early immunotherapies by rewiring a key component of the immune system: the roving attack dogs called T cells that sniff out and kill intruders. They also think their idea could work beyond cancer on other diseases, as well.
The Lim Lab’s latest paper, published Thursday in the journal Cell, describes how they reprogrammed T cells to do two things: sense when they’re near a tumor with particular markings on its surface, and produce drugs on the spot to kill only the tumor cells. The work is based in part on the way cells communicate with each other in group settings to carry out complex tasks, like forming a limb or an organ.