Scientists Create Cells That Fight Cancer Two Ways-at Fraction of the Cost

Key Points:

• Researchers at UCLA have developed "off-the-shelf" AlloESO-T immune cells engineered from blood-forming stem cells to target solid tumors through dual mechanisms: a T-cell receptor recognizing the NY-ESO-1 tumor antigen and natural killer receptors detecting stressed cancer cells.
• This dual targeting approach aims to overcome challenges like antigen heterogeneity and immune evasion by enabling the cells to kill cancer cells even if the original antigen is lost, potentially improving treatment efficacy for cancers such as ovarian, melanoma, and prostate.
• Preclinical studies showed AlloESO-T cells exhibit stronger tumor-killing ability, selective tumor homing, sustained activity, and lower risks of graft-versus-host disease and cytokine release syndrome compared to conventional single-target TCR therapies.
• The therapy could be produced at scale from cord blood stem cells, significantly reducing manufacturing costs to approximately $5,000 per dose and enabling broad accessibility compared to personalized cell treatments.
• Further work is needed to assess safety, dosage, biodistribution, persistence, and off-tumor effects before clinical trials, with researchers emphasizing careful evaluation of potential toxicities from both targeting mechanisms.