Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a microengineered living model of human lung cancer, a tumor-on-a-chip. It allows researchers to observe in real time how altered immune cells interact with solid tumors, revealing their weaknesses. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
The technology will help better understand how CAR-T therapy, a method in which a patient's T cells are modified to recognize and destroy tumor cells, works. This approach has already been effective in treating leukemia and lymphoma, but CAR-T therapy is weakly effective against solid tumors. According to the scientists, such tumors are protected by a dense "microenvironment", a complex structure of blood vessels and signaling molecules, which prevents the infiltration of immune cells.
The resulting chip simulates the behavior of tumor cells and blood vessels in the human body. The scientists noticed that vascular endothelial cells send chemical signals that attract CAR-T cells, but these signals are quickly destroyed by the DPP-4 enzyme.
The team found that vildagliptin, a drug used in type 2 diabetes, can block the effects of DPP-4, thereby enhancing signals that direct immune cells to tumors. In chip experiments, this allowed more CAR-T cells to penetrate tumor tissue and attack cancer cells.
“This system is transparent, like a window into the battlefield between the tumor and the immune system. We literally see how the T cells enter the tissue and hit their target," said Ha Hu, the leader of the study.
The new technology makes it possible to rapidly test future CAR-T therapies and select drugs that will help immune cells fight cancer more effectively.
Translation by Euromedia24.com
