Genetically-modified immune cells can destroy cancer cells, according to new experiments in mice.

Immunotherapy is an exciting new approach to cancer treatment; it involves 'waking up' the immune system, so that it attacks and destroys cancer cells. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have now demonstrated the power of so-called 'adoptive' immunotherapy using mice.

First a type of immune cell called a T cell was modified so that it attacked cancer cells of the type found in many human blood malignancies. The mice received these cells and cancer cells at various sites around the body were eliminated. This is an important step forward in the field of adoptive immunotherapy - previous attempts were dogged with problems, such as failure of the cells to divide or elicit a powerful immune response.

In addition, immune cells were taken from patients with advanced leukemia and genetically-manipulated. This gave them the power to kill the patients' tumor cells, at least in the test-tube. It's to be hoped that further research will soon lead to clinical trials in patients with a range of blood cancers.

Source

Nature Medicine March 2003 (10th February on-line edition)