Israeli Researchers Enhance Immune Cells' Cancer-Fighting Ability

Israeli scientists have developed a novel method to significantly improve the ability of immune cells to identify and attack cancer cells and viruses. Researchers from Bar-Ilan University and the Weizmann Institute of Science utilized computer-aided protein design to enhance the T-cell receptor (TCR), which immune cells use to recognize targets. The engineered cells demonstrated a stronger immune response and a greater capacity to eliminate target cells in laboratory and animal studies.

The breakthrough addresses a key challenge in immunotherapy: making the immune system more effective against diseases. Professor Cyril Cohen of Bar-Ilan University explained that while the immune system can naturally fight pathogens, it often needs enhancement, particularly against cancer, which originates from the body's own cells. The new approach aims to equip T-cells, the immune system's 'scouts,' with more precise and stable 'scanners' (TCRs) to distinguish and attack abnormal cells without harming healthy ones.

The research focused on overcoming a problem where introducing a new TCR into a T-cell could interfere with its existing natural TCR. By using computational biology, the team designed a structurally enhanced TCR, named SET, which ensures the engineered chains bind more stably and interact less with the natural ones. This design was tested through a collaborative process between Weizmann's computational lab and Bar-Ilan's experimental lab.

Experiments showed that T-cells equipped with the SET receptor exhibited a significantly stronger immune response and higher cancer cell-killing ability compared to those with the original receptor. In mouse models with human tumors, the SET-modified T-cells led to a substantial inhibition of tumor growth, with treated mice showing smaller tumors and higher survival rates over time. The strategy proved effective not only against various cancer targets but also against viral targets, including Epstein-Barr virus and SARS-CoV-2.

While the results are promising and suggest broad applicability for engineering more effective T-cells, the research is still in the pre-clinical stage. Further studies are required to assess the safety, long-term efficacy, and performance in human trials. The researchers aim to advance this technology towards clinical applications in collaboration with hospitals.