A new type of immune cell has been discovered by scientists in patients who have succeeded in fighting cancer. Unlike other T cells, these cells can attack multiple cancer targets simultaneously, preventing the formation of new tumors for up to a year and enabling more effective cancer treatments. This discovery forms the basis of a treatment for cancer called immunotherapy.Super ‘killer’ T cells discovered
Researchers at Cardiff University investigated what biological differences there might be between successful and unsuccessful rounds of treatment in different patients. For a decade, they followed a phase I and II clinical trial examining what is known as Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, which focused on the white blood cells already at work in the patient’s tumor. A phase I and II clinical trial found that when blood samples from patients who had successfully cleared their cancers interacted with cancer cells, killer T cells showed strong responses even after remission.
Can attack multiple targets
The researchers used algorithms to predict which targets these T cells were detecting, and discovered that the T cells of cancer survivors recognized multiple protein changes in their cancer cells. While this finding contradicts the notion that each T cell usually targets only one protein, it shows that these discovered cells can respond to multiple proteins simultaneously.Future studies will be needed to definitively confirm the link between these T cells and clearing of cancer, the team says. Understanding what these immune cells target is expected to help improve other cancer treatments as well. In addition, genetically engineered use of these T cells in the laboratory is also seen as an option to be explored. As a result, this new type of immune cell, discovered in cancer survivors, stands out for its ability to attack multiple cancer targets simultaneously. As research continues, it will be better understood how these cells can contribute to improving cancer treatments.
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