NSU Cancer Researchers Develop New Immunotherapy that can Lead to Treatment for Sarcoma
In a recent publication published in the Frontiers in Immunology journal, researchers from the NSU Cell Therapy Institute reported a novel anticancer cell therapy strategy that has the potential to be developed into new treatment for sarcomas and various other cancers.
A team of NSU researchers, lead by Dr. Adil Duru along with multiple international collaborators investigated a method of implementing cells of our immune system for treating sarcomas. Sarcomas are aggressive and metastatic cancers that affect bone or soft tissues. Most sarcomas are resistant to currently used anticancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Therefore, survival outcome is poor and there is an urgent need for developing novel therapies for this disease. A team of scientists at NSU decided to investigate novel immunotherapy strategies for solving this unmet medical need. A type of immune cells known as Natural Killer (NK) serve as a major component of our innate immunity and are known to act as the initial line of defense against infectious pathogens as well as cancers. NSU researchers used genetically modified (GM) NK cells to target cancer cells.
Analysis of clinical samples obtained from sarcoma patients revealed that sarcoma cells express two markers, CD112 and/or CD155 that can be utilized by receptors on NK cells to detect, target and eliminate these cancer cells. Researchers also found that when they genetically modified NK cells to over-express the activating receptors, DNAM-1 and NKG2D, these GM NK cells exhibited enhanced cytotoxic effect against sarcoma cells. These findings reported in the recent publication are evidence of the potential of these GM NK for cancer immunotherapy against sarcoma.
Although this research was primarily focused on sarcoma, researchers also tested therapeutic efficacy of DNAM-1+ and NKG2D+ GM NK cells against other established tumor cell lines. Their findings indicate that besides sarcoma, this immunotherapy strategy can also exert anticancer activity against neuroblastoma, melanoma, Schwannoma, myeloma, leukemia, prostate, pancreatic, colon and lung cancer. The scientific findings reported in the recent article indicate that this immunotherapy strategy using GM NK cells holds significant promise and has the potential to improve the lives of cancer patients.
NSU would like to thank the Thorek Memorial Foundation and National Pediatric Cancer Foundation – Sunshine Project for supporting this innovative immunotherapy research.
About Thorek Memorial Foundation: Thorek Memorial Foundation was created to provide service to the community and to promote and foster understanding of various health and wellness concerns affecting the members of the community. The Foundation will use its resources to identify healthcare needs, improve population health, and address other needs within the community it serves. The Foundation will provide financial support to organizations in the community to assist their operations, activities, and fulfill their missions. Thorek Memorial Foundation will sponsor various scientific, educational and charitable endeavors that result from the identification of certain community health issues. Thorek Memorial Foundation will also support and enrich Thorek Memorial Hospital through various educational activities.
About National Pediatric Cancer Foundation – Sunshine Project: The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation (NPCF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research to develop cure for childhood cancer. The Sunshine Project is an innovative collaboration initiated by the NPCF for improving the outcome of pediatric cancer. Its primary goal is to bring together oncologists and researchers across the nation to increase the survival rate for children affected with pediatric cancer.
About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 200 National Research Universities and is a dynamic, private research university providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. Established in 1964, NSU now includes 16 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, a private JK-12 grade school, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with specialists in Autism, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, which is Florida’s largest public library. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.