London: Scientists have developed a new type of immunotherapy to treat bone cancer.
Researchers at University College London have developed a treatment that shows positive results against a type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma.
Osteosarcoma is a rare cancer, but it is the most common bone disease in young people. Today, more than 150,000 people worldwide suffer from this disease.
Research in mice has found that a subset of immune cells called gamma-delta T cells can provide effective and inexpensive cancer treatment.
These cells are a type of immune cell made from healthy donor immune cells. These cells can be safely transferred from one person to another without the risk of fatal disease.
To create these cells, blood is taken from a healthy person and the cells are engineered to produce anti-tumor antibodies and immune chemicals before being sent to the cancer.
This new delivery platform for treatment is called OPS-gamma-delta T.
The lead author of the study, Dr Jonathan Fisher from University College London, said that existing immunotherapies such as CAR-T cells use the patient’s own immune cells and enhance their anti-cancer properties.
