Researchers at UCL have developed a promising new immunotherapy using gamma-delta T cells for osteosarcoma and other bone metastases, showing significant preclinical success. This innovative approach, termed OPS-gdT, is set to enter early-phase clinical trials after demonstrating its potential to effectively control tumor growth in mouse models. Credit: SciTechDaily.
com A new immunotherapy developed at UCL using engineered immune cells has shown promising preclinical results against a bone cancer called osteosarcoma, as part of a study in mice. Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer in teenagers but is still relatively rare, with around 160 new cases each year in the UK. Meanwhile, more than 150,000 people suffer from cancer that has spread to the bones.
Cancer that starts in or spreads to the bones is particularly hard to treat, meaning that it is a leading cause of cancer-related death. It is also frequently resistant to chemotherapy, so new treatments are needed. The results of the experiment, published in Science Translational Medicine , found that using a small subset of immune cells, called gamma-delta T cells (gdT cells) could provide an efficient and cost-effective solution.
gdT cells are a less well-known type of immune cell that can be made from healthy donor immune cells. They have strong innate anti-cancer properties, can kill antibody-labeled targets and can safely be given from one person to another, without the risk of graft-versus-host disease. Innovative.
