
This graphic demonstrates how STING-NPs enhance uptake of cGAMP. (Jennifer Fairman/Fairman Studios)
New research builds on Nobel-winning immune checkpoint blockade work
Immunotherapy’s promise in the fight against cancer drew international attention after two scientists won a Nobel Prize this year for unleashing the ability of the immune system to eliminate tumor cells.
But their approach, which keeps cancer cells from shutting off the immune system’s powerful T-cells before they can fight tumors, is just one way to use the body’s natural defenses against deadly disease. A team of Vanderbilt University bioengineers today announced a major breakthrough in another: penetrating tumor-infiltrating immune cells and flipping on a switch that tells them to start fighting. The team designed a nanoscale particle to do that and found early success using it on human melanoma tissue.
“Tumors are pretty conniving and have evolved many ways to evade detection from our immune system,” said John T. Wilson, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and biomedical engineering. “Our goal is to rearm the immune system with the tools it needs to destroy cancer cells.
“Checkpoint blockade has been a major breakthrough, but despite the huge impact it continues to have, we also know that there are a lot of patients who don’t respond to these therapies. We’ve developed a nanoparticle to find tumors and deliver a specific type of molecule that’s produced naturally by our bodies to fight off cancer.”
That molecule is called cGAMP, and it’s the primary way to switch on what’s known as the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway: a natural mechanism the body uses to mount an immune response that can fight viruses or bacteria or clear out malignant cells. Wilson said his team’s nanoparticle delivers cGAMP in a way that jump-starts the immune response inside the tumor, resulting in the generation of T-cells that can destroy the tumor from the inside and also improve responses to checkpoint blockade.
While the Vanderbilt team’s research focused on melanoma, their work also indicates that this could impact treatment of many cancers, Wilson said, including breast, kidney, head and neck, neuroblastoma, colorectal and lung cancer.
His findings appear today in a paper titled “Endosomolytic Polymersomes Increase the Activity of Cyclic Dinucleotide STING Agonists to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy” in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Daniel Shae, a Ph.D. student on Wilson’s team and first author of the manuscript, said the process began with developing the right nanoparticle, built using “smart” polymers that respond to changes in pH that he engineered to enhance the potency of cGAMP. After 20 or so iterations, the team found one that could deliver cGAMP and activate STING efficiently in mouse immune cells, then mouse tumors and eventually human tissue samples.
“That’s really exciting because it demonstrates that, one day, this technology may have success in patients,” Shae said.
Learn more: Nanoparticle targets tumor-infiltrating immune cells, flips switch telling them to fight
The Latest on: Cancer Immunotherapy
via Google News
The Latest on: Cancer Immunotherapy
- UTSW study uncovers a gene linked to growth of breast canceron January 12, 2021 at 3:45 pm
A team of UT Southwestern researchers has identified a gene involved in the growth of breast cancer, a finding that could lead to potential new targets for treatment.
- Immunotherapy offers new hope for terminal cancer patientson January 12, 2021 at 2:28 pm
It's a treatment that improves how your immune system finds and destroys cancer cells. These drugs are called 'immunotherapy' and they offer hope for nearly untreatable cancers. But a number of cancer ...
- Spectacular Progress in Lung Cancer Careon January 12, 2021 at 2:19 pm
ONCOLOGY® recently sat down with Jennifer W. Carlisle, MD, of Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, to discuss the many advances made during the last year for patients with lung cancer along ...
- Researchers identify new gene involved in breast cancer growthon January 12, 2021 at 10:09 am
A team of UT Southwestern researchers has identified a gene involved in the growth of breast cancer, a finding that could lead to potential new targets for treatment.
- Awareness Campaigns and Government Initiatives Place Cancer Immunotherapy Market on High Growth Trajectory in North Americaon January 12, 2021 at 4:32 am
A recent report published by Fact MR points towards disequilibrium in the distribution of cancer immunotherapy in developing and developed regions In the U S high frequency of knowledge based ...
- Novartis, once wary of Chinese M&A, dives into BeiGene's cancer immunotherapyon January 12, 2021 at 4:20 am
Swiss drugmaker Novartis paid $650 million to snag an immuno-oncology drug from BeiGene Ltd, the latest Western drugmaker turning to China for must-have assets to fill holes in their cancer portfolios ...
- Roche says updated data shows Tecentriq cocktail gives longer liver cancer survivalon January 12, 2021 at 3:15 am
Drugmaker Roche will present updated data confirming its immunotherapy Tecentriq, used in combination with Avastin, substantially improves overall survival in people with the most common form of liver ...
- New humanized mouse model provides insight into immunotherapy resistanceon January 12, 2021 at 2:03 am
Scientists at The Wistar Institute have created an advanced humanized immune system mouse model that allows them to examine resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapies in melanoma. It has ...
- Sanofi buys Kymab for up to $1.5 billion to expand in immunotherapyon January 11, 2021 at 6:49 am
French drugmaker Sanofi has agreed to buy British immunotherapy firm Kymab for up to $1.45 billion, the latest in a string of deals as it belatedly expands in a fast-growing medical area.
- Cancer Immunotherapy Market Analysis with Key Players, Applications, Trends and Forecasts to 2025on January 11, 2021 at 3:45 am
Global Cancer Immunotherapy Market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 13% during 2020-25. Cancer immunotherapy has its extensive utilization in the treatment of blood cancer, prostate cancer, ...
via Bing News