Injection turns sleeping tumour immune cells into cancer fighters: Study
Summary
KAIST researchers have developed a novel treatment that reprograms immune cells inside tumours into cancer-killing cells by injecting a drug directly, which has shown promising tumour suppression in animal models.
Key Points
- KAIST researchers developed a method to reprogram tumour-associated macrophages inside the body into cancer-killing CAR-macrophages using injected lipid nanoparticles.
- This approach bypasses the need for lab-based cell extraction and genetic modification, making cancer immunotherapy more efficient and scalable.
- In animal models, particularly melanoma, the treatment significantly slowed tumour growth and stimulated strong anticancer immune responses, potentially extending protection beyond treated tumours.
- The findings highlight a new direction for immune cell therapy that addresses delivery efficiency and the immunosuppressive tumour environment limitations of existing CAR-macrophage therapies.
