Honing The (Cancer) Killer Instinct Of iNKT Cells

Reprogramming invariant natural killer T cells in the lab increases their potency and helps them seek out and kill cancer cells.

AsianScientist (Feb. 23, 2016) – Japanese researchers have successfully used induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology to increase the number and potency of cancer cell killers, called invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, in the blood. Their work was published in Stem Cell Reports.

One way in which cancer cells flourish is by concealing themselves against cytotoxic (toxic to cells) immune cells. iNKT cells are rare helper immune cells that activate these cytotoxic cells when cancers go into hiding.

Indeed, the level of iNKT cells in the blood is a good predictor of clinical outcome. Increasing the number of iNKT cells could therefore be an effective cell therapy against cancers.

In the present study, Shin Kaneko, associate professor at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University, Japan, and his team report the preparation of reprogrammed (re-) iNKT cells. These cells come from patient iNKT cells that were reprogrammed to iPS cells and then multiplied before being differentiated to re-iNKT cells; thus significantly increasing the number of iNKT cells from before.

The microscope image is of a colony of iNKT cells reprogrammed to the iPS cell state. Scale bar is 100 micrometers. Credit: Kaneko Laboratory, CiRA, Kyoto University
The microscope image is of a colony of iNKT cells reprogrammed to the iPS cell state. Scale bar is 100 micrometers. Credit: Kaneko Laboratory, CiRA, Kyoto University

Unexpectedly, although the re-iNKT cells behaved like iNKT cells, they showed properties that deviated from their origin and resulted in more potency. These deviations suggest that re-iNKT cells followed a different development pathway than normal iNKT cells.

Such an alternative pathway could open the door to the preparation of different cell types for cancer therapy.

“Cancer patients usually have severely weakened immune systems. The ability to make potent immune cells is very helpful,” explained Kaneko.

The creation of potent immune cells also has important implications on our understanding of how immune cells are formed.

“The immune system is maybe the most complicated system in the body,” says Kaneko. “Simplifying it may help us develop new treatments.”

The group is now investigating the different pathways in which iNKT cells form, and identifying which are best for cancer therapy.


The article can be found at: Cellular Adjuvant Properties, Direct Cytotoxicity of Re-differentiated Vα24 Invariant NKT-like Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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Source: Center for iPS Cell Research and Application; Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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