Stanford researchers are on track to begin human trials of a potentially
potent new weapon against cancer, and would-be participants are
flooding in following the Post’s initial report on the discovery.
The
progress comes just two months after the groundbreaking study by Dr Irv
Weissman, who developed an antibody that breaks down a cancer's defense
mechanisms in the body.
A protein called CD47 tells the body not
to "eat" the cancer, but the antibody developed by Dr Weissman blocks
CD47 and frees up immune cells called macrophages — which can then
engulf the deadly cells.
The new research shows the miraculous
macrophages effectively act as intelligence gatherers for the body,
pointing out cancerous cells to cancer-fighting "killer T" cells.
The T cells then "learn" to hunt down and attack the cancer, the researchers claim.
“It
was completely unexpected that CD8+ T (killer T) cells would be
mobilized when macrophages engulfed the cancer cells in the presence of
CD47-blocking antibodies,” said MD/PhD student Diane Tseng, who works
with Dr. Weissman.
The clinical implications of the process could be profound in the war on cancer.
When
macrophages present "killer T" cells with a patient's cancer, the T
cells become attuned to the unique molecular markers on the cancer.
This turns them into a personalized cancer vaccine.
“Because
T cells are sensitized to attack a patient’s particular cancer, the
administration of CD47-blocking antibodies in a sense could act as a
personalized vaccination against that cancer,” Tseng said.
The
team of researchers at Stanford plan on starting a small 10-100 person
phase I clinical human trial of the cancer therapy in 2014.
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