by A recent study published in Cell has revealed promising findings about a specific type of immune cell that has the ability to attack cancer cells. The researchers at City of Hope have discovered that human type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), which are known to play a role in allergic and immune responses, can also directly kill various types of cancers, including solid tumors and blood cancers.
The team at City of Hope, led by Professor Jianhua Yu, identified human ILC2 cells as a member of the cell family capable of attacking cancer cells. This discovery opens up possibilities for developing new therapies that utilize these cells to combat cancer. The researchers found that ILC2s can be expanded outside the body, allowing for larger quantities of cells to be administered to patients. This is in contrast to T cell-based therapies, such as CAR T cells, which rely on the patient’s own cells. ILC2s can potentially be sourced from healthy donors, making them an off-the-shelf treatment option.
Previous studies on mouse cells did not consistently show promise in terms of their ability to kill cancer cells. However, the researchers at City of Hope focused on human cells and found that human ILC2s function differently than their mouse counterparts. This unexpected result emphasizes the importance of studying human cells when it comes to understanding their function and potential therapeutic applications.
To test the cancer-killing abilities of human ILC2s, the team isolated the cells from a blood sample and developed a novel platform to expand their numbers. They then injected these expanded ILC2s into mice with different types of cancer, including acute myeloid leukemia, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, and glioblastoma. The results showed that the ILC2s were able to kill the tumor cells through a previously unknown mechanism.
One remarkable finding from the study was when one ILC2 cell was placed directly in contact with a tumor cell, the tumor cell died while the ILC2 cell survived. This provided direct evidence that ILC2s can directly kill cancer cells without the presence of other cells.
One of the advantages of ILC2s as a potential therapeutic is that they do not necessarily need to come from the patient’s own cells. This means that ILC2s could be harvested and stored from healthy donors for use in treatment. However, further research is needed to fully understand the potential of ILC2s in cancer treatment.
The research team, led by Yu and Dr. Michael Caligiuri, also expressed their excitement about the possible collaboration between different types of immune cells, including ILC2s, natural killer (NK) cells, and CD8+ T cells, to enhance the body’s ability to fight cancer and other diseases.
While there are still many questions to be answered about the role of ILC2s in cancer treatment, the researchers are optimistic about the potential applications of their findings. They believe that ILC2s could not only be used in cancer therapies but also against other diseases, such as viral infections like COVID-19.
One challenge in bringing ILC2s to clinical trials is the need to have enough cells to test. ILC2s are rare in the body, with the highest numbers found in the lungs, gut, and skin. However, the research team at City of Hope has developed a platform to rapidly expand ILC2s, which is a promising step towards clinical trials and eventually translating their discovery into tangible clinical benefits.
Overall, this research opens up new possibilities in the field of cancer treatment by identifying ILC2s as potential cancer-killing cells. The findings highlight the importance of studying human cells and the need for further research to fully understand and harness the power of ILC2s in combating cancer and other diseases.
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- Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
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