Rita Felix / UC
The innovation was made with cellular reprogramming of Natural Killer cells – which act in the first line of tumor defense.
They were recreated, for the first time in laboratory, cells Natural Killer (NK) – a type of immune system cell that acts on first line of tumor defense.
The innovation was made through cell reprogramming, which was made possible thanks to the new REPROcode platform, which will help scientists in the processes of mapping and reprogramming immune cells.
The was carried out by a group of scientists coordinated by the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC).
On the REPROcode platform, researchers created a library with more than 400 transcription factors – proteins capable of reprogramming most types of immune cells.
These proteins are “bar codes”which make it possible to track which ones promote the reprogramming of different types of immune cells.
“This tool allows test dozens of combinations of factors simultaneouslyin order to identify which ones make it possible to obtain various types of immune cells”, explains CNC-UC researcher, Carlos-Filipe Pereira, in a statement sent to ZAP.
This study also identified factors for improve the reprogramming of already known cell types (the combination of which was already known).
It is a new path for developing new approaches to cellular immunotherapy.
Many tumors, or people, do not respond to immunotherapy. Many types of immune cells are useful in immunotherapy, but they are rare in blood and difficult to obtain directly from patients – so advancing the production of immune cells in the laboratory is very important.
The researchers also built a “guide map” of the factors that control the formation of different immune cell lineages.
With cellular reprogramming, a cell can be converted into another distinct cell type, allowing immune system cells to be generated for immunotherapy purposes.
But most combinations of transcription factors remain unknown.
“Our approach works as a ‘toolbox’ which allows immune cells to be generated in the laboratory from cells that are easier to collect and replicate, such as those from the skin. This strategy facilitates the development of more effective immunotherapies, reducing the risk of ineffectiveness in certain patients and enabling the advancement of new approaches against cancer and other diseases of the immune system”, describes Carlos-Filipe Pereira.
Looking to the future, “in addition to allowing the generation of cells that activate the immune system against cancer, this approach could be expanded to produce cells that teach you not to attack your own body, paving the way for new therapies in autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis”, believes the expert.
