New Technology Programs Immune Cells to Combat Brain Cancer, MS

Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive type of cancer that usually affects an individual’s spinal cord or brain. Brain cancers, which are among the most difficult cancers to treat, are the primary cause of cancer deaths in kids.

The main treatments of this cancer include chemotherapy and surgery, with medications being a less prescribed option as they can’t always access the brain.

Now researchers at the University of California-San Francisco have discovered a new way to alter immune cell behavior to attack glioblastoma. For their study, they came up with a molecular GPS that could lead immune cells to the brain to eliminate tumors without damaging healthy tissue. The cells were guided using an ‘address’ for the tumor and a ‘zip code’ for the brain.

The researchers discovered that a protein known as brevican, which played a role in the creation of the brain’s jelly-like structure, was the best molecular zip code for this organ, as it could only be found there. As for the address, the researchers used 2 proteins usually found in most cancers of the brain.

They then programmed the immune cells to attack only when they detected brevican then either one of the other cancer proteins. The co-senior author of the paper, Professor Wendell Lim, explained that immune cells were adapted to circulate in the body and find their targets.

The researchers observed that the immune cells had no issue finding their way to the mouse’s brain once they entered the blood stream, noting that the cells which stayed in the blood stream remained dormant. This, they noted, prevented tissues in other parts of the mouse’s body that may have had the same ‘address’ from attack.

100 days after the initial experiment, the researchers introduced new tumor cells into the mouse’s brain, observing that the immune cells left after the first attack were able to eliminate the cancer cells.

In the report, they explained that this was an indication that the immune cells could effectively prevent any remaining tumors from growing back. They added that this living cell treatment had addressed a huge limitation that was impacting the effectiveness of CAR-T cancer treatments.

In addition to eliminating tumors, the researchers used the therapy to control inflammation in a multiple sclerosis mouse model.

The effectiveness of this technology will be evaluated in a trial involving patients with glioblastoma in 2025, following its effectiveness in mice. The researchers’ findings were published in Science earlier this month.

Many other enterprises, such as Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN), are also engaged in programs geared at finding effective ways to combat neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis and brain tumors. The coming years could avail a variety of effective treatments targeting these conditions.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CLNN

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