Cytokine Factories
Bioengineers from Rice University have reported on a new method of treating advanced stage ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer in mice. They have created a cytokine delivery platform consisting of polymer-encapsulated human ARPE-19 cells that produce natural interleukin-2 (IL2). It is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that regulates the activity of lymphocytes to fight cancer. A pinhead-sized implant can be implanted using minimally invasive surgery.
The authors hope that clinical trials in humans will begin this fall, because one of the key criteria for the development was the fastest possible help for cancer patients. They selected only those components that have already been used to treat people, and demonstrated the safety of the new platform in several experiments.
The main problem of immunotherapy is the difficulty of activating antitumor immunity without systemic side effects. In this study, the team implanted "cytokine factories" in animals next to tumors inside the abdominal cavity, which allowed IL2 to be concentrated in the tumor and limited accumulation in other organs.
IL2 has already been approved by the FDA for the treatment of certain cancers, and the new method of administration will provide a stronger immune response than existing treatment regimens, because implants create high concentrations of IL2 directly in the tumor.
The outer shell protects cytokine-producing cells from immune attacks. The capsule is made of materials that the immune system recognizes as foreign objects, but not as an immediate threat, so it does not attack them. Researchers have shown that the flow of cytokines from the capsules is turned off within 30 days, and if necessary, a second course of treatment can be safely carried out.
It is very important that in experiments the concentration of IL2 was increased only in the tumor, and in other organs it was lower than with standard intravenous administration.
The platform generates IL2 constantly, it remains only to choose the right dose, that is, to find out how many "factories" are needed to destroy all cancer cells. The researchers achieved complete tumor regression in 100% of mice with ovarian cancer and in 78.5% of mice with colorectal cancer.
The method used in the study can be used to treat cancer of other localization: pancreas, liver, lungs and others. To do this, the "cytokine factories" will need to be placed next to the tumor and inside the membranes surrounding these and neighboring organs. And if another cytokine is needed to target a particular tumor form, the platform can be modified and loaded with cells that produce the desired immunotherapeutic compound.
Article by A.M.Nash et al. Clinically translatable cytokine delivery platform for the eradication of intraperitoneal tumors is published in the journal Science Advances.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Rice University materials: 'Drug factory' implants eliminate ovarian, colorectal cancer in mice.