MIT and Harvard Build “Invisible” Immune Cells That Obliterate Cancer

From SciTechDaily

The cells are designed to suppress immune-rejection signals and enhance tumor-killing power. Tested in humanized mice, they wiped out cancer while avoiding dangerous immune reactions.

Scientists have recently developed a powerful new approach to fighting cancer using specially engineered immune cells called CAR-NK (natural killer) cells. These cells function much like CAR-T cells, which can be customized to seek out and destroy cancer, but rely on a different type of immune cell as their foundation.

Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School have now designed an improved version of CAR-NK cells that are far less likely to be attacked by a patient’s own immune system, a major obstacle in current cell-based therapies.