Immune Cells (CIK, DC-CIK, Gamma Delta (γδ) T Cells, NK, CAR-T)
Several types of immune-cell therapies, such as αβ T-cell, cytokine-induced killer (CIK), γδ T-cell, dendritic cell, natural killer (NK) cells are applied as therapy or clinically employed for cancer treatment. The safety of immune-cell therapy for the treatment of patients with malignancies are usually measured and maintained by continuous assessment of adverse events that associated with immune-cell therapy using large-scale prospective data and analyzed the side-effect profiles.
■ Alpha Beta (αβ) T-Cells
αβ T-cell therapy is a type of “autologous lymphocyte therapy”, which proliferates T cells with the strongest attack on cancer cells in vitro and then inject them back into the body. T cells are mostly αβ T cells, so this therapy is named after it. Since αβ T cells are immune cells that attack all abnormal cells including cancer cells, they have the effect of comprehensively improving the function of immune cells. At the same time, it can relieve the suppressive effect of cancer cells on immunity (cancer cells protect their own barriers) and create an effective immune function environment.
The method of therapy can be easily understood by the following steps: collecting lymphocyte from the patients, co-culture of CD3 and interleukin 2 (IL-2), expansion of active αβ T-cell, and transfusion of cells back to patient body; thus, the tumor tissue will be attacked and engulfed by the (αβ) T-cell.
The method of therapy can be easily understood by the following steps: collecting lymphocyte from the patients, co-culture of CD3 and interleukin 2 (IL-2), expansion of active αβ T-cell, and transfusion of cells back to patient body; thus, the tumor tissue will be attacked and engulfed by the (αβ) T-cell.
■ CIK Cells
A type of cancer treatment that separates mono-nuclear leukocytes from the blood, and adds anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies, interleukin 2 (IL-2), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and other types of cytokines during cell culturation. After culturation, some other cytokines are added to identify presenting of the expression on the surface of infected cells in a group of genes complex and further releases cytokines to trigger cell lysis or known as apoptosis. Because CIK cells have a killing effect that is not restricted by group of genes complex, they can identify infected cells or malignant tumor cells that fail to present antigens in a group of gene complex, and produce a rapid and accurate immune response. Therefore, this special ability makes differentiation Of CD3 + / CD56 + CIK cells are capable of anti-tumor cytotoxicity. The characteristics also make CIK cells one of the treatments for cancer and viral infections.
■ Gamma Delta (γδ) T Cells,
A category of T-cell that are presented in peripheral blood, and their number accounts for 1-5% of all T cells in peripheral blood. It distinguishes normal and abnormal cells by recognizing isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) molecules on the cell surface, in which the IPP has an intermediate product of intracellular pathway, and its production in cancer cells will increase, especially when the p53 gene of cancer cells is mutated. Therefore, gamma delta T cells can be used to identify and kill a variety of cancer cells.
■ NK CellsThe natural killer cell is also called LAK cell (lymphokine activated killer cell), in which many particles are in the cell. Therefore, the natural enemy of cancer cells has this function. It is a powerful natural killer cell, and antibodies can be used as weapons. Macrophages and T cells are the joint operations command headquarters.
There are three types of NK therapies: autologous, allogeneic (including cord blood), and cell line (cell line) cultured. Autologous NK cells are derived from peripheral blood. After isolation, NK cells are added to the culture medium (including IL-2, IL-12, IL-15, Gm-CSF, and SCF) to expand in vitro, increase the number, and educate NK cells and enhance cells the ability to conjugate, to fight against, and to attack cancer cells. Oftentimes, patients who suffer from cancer and have a short-relapsed period from re-occurrence is considered as defective or commonly known as weak immunity. This deficiency is congenital, and most of it cannot be improved by dietary control. Genetic deficiency is another reason reason, so patients with this problem will still experience re-occurrence after relapsed time. Even high-dose chemotherapy combined with autologous stem cell transplantation were used. On other hand, some scientific evidence show that NK cell can be educated its ability to attack cancer cells such as the binding ability to C-Kit ligand by IL-15 stimulation. The second type is allogeneic NK cells. Culturing CD34 + positive stem cells to replace with CD56 + positive NK cells in expansion. However, when injected into patients, there will be the performance of the group-gene complex human tissue antigens. In order to recognize tumor cells and not destroyed by the body, the so-called anti-KIR antibody is needed to strengthen the natural killer cells to reach the target and destroy and poison the cancer cells.
■ CAR-T Cells
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) is by inserting CAR genes to human immune system or T-cells in a biotechnological mean to recognize the CD19 antigen on the surface of cancer cells, and transformed into CAR-T to deal with cancer. CAR-T is like installing a navigator to identify cancer cells on T cells. When CAR-T encounters cancer cells, it will identify and lock the cancer cells, and then the T cells will start the reaction of poisoning cancer cells. CAR T-cell therapy is a “precision medicine” treatment, and belongs to the newly defined cancer treatments known as immunotherapy.
■ DC-CIK Cells
DC-CIK cell immunotherapy is a combination of dendritic cells (DC) and cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK), both types of cells are co-cultured in vitro, and after large-scale expansion of the cells, the activated immune cells are injected back to the patient.
When the therapy is applied, it can also assist or stimulate the body's own immune system, improve the patient's immune function to inhibit or kill tumor cells. DC can be used as a tumor cell finder throughout the body when blood goes through the entire body, and transmit information to immune active cells to promote their activation and massive proliferation. This cell has a strong killing ability for tumor cells to accurately recognize them. DC-CIK cells have great potential for the treatment after surgery or after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It can remove residual small metastatic lesions and prevent the spread and recurrence of the tumor cells.