UCLA Researchers Design a Renewable Source of Cancer Fighting T Cells

A renewable source of cancer fighting T cells may soon become more readily available to patients.

UCLA researchers, led by Dr. Gay Crooks have created a renewable source of cancer fighting T cells. These groundbreaking researchers are the first to demonstrate a technique for generating and developing mature T cells with critical cancer fighting receptors from pluripotent stem cells. These mature T cells are capable of killing tumor cells. These pluripotent stem cells can be grown indefinitely in the lab.

The ability to use the UCLA technique of creating T cells from self-renewing pluripotent stem cells could lead to new approaches to cancer immunotherapy. What makes the pluripotent stem cells so special is that they can be coaxed into producing any type of cell in the human body. Further, these pluripotent cells could generate more research on T cells therapies for viral infections such as HIV and autoimmune diseases. One of the most exciting parts of the pluripotent stem cells is the unlimited supply for patients, as they will not need to use their own T cells.

The new technique of creating cancer fighting renewable T cells uses structures called artificial thymic organoids, which work by mimicking the environment of the thymus, the organ in which T cells develop from blood stem cells. Thus, will result in a virtually unlimited supply of T cells which makes therapies more accessible, affordable, and effective.

(In the past “CAR T-cell therapy” was the prevalent therapy utilized. CAR T-cell therapy involves collecting the patient’s own T cells then genetically engineering them with a receptor that helps them recognize and destroy cancer cells before infusing them back into the patient.   Engineered T cell therapy is expensive and doesn’t always work well, as it needs to be tailored to each patient. Moreover, patients don’t always have enough T cells for this kind of therapy.)

UCLA: Over 80 million in NIH Grants /Over 1 Billion in Total Funding Annually

• UCLA: AIDS Research including the AMC, the LOC and Clinical Trials, $36M
• UCLA Clinical Translational Science Institute, $12M
• Natural History of AIDS in Homosexual Men, $4.3M
• Imaging Innovations for Placental Assessment in Response to Environmental Pollution, $4.2M
• Alzheimer disease and other brain disorders, $$3.8M
• HIV treatment for youth at risk, $$3.6M
• Microscope for monitoring neural activity, $3.6M
• Medical countermeasures against radiation, $3.1M
• Molecular, cellular & circuit mechanisms for age related deficits in memory-linking, $2.8M
• Molecular genetic approaches in atherosclerosis research, $2.6M
• Adaptive interventions for minimally verbal children with ASD in the Community, $2.4M

With so much funding, it is no surprise that UCLA is a thriving marketplace for life science laboratory suppliers to meet with active life science researchers. Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. holds an annual Bio Research Product Faire ™ Event in Los Angeles that gives lab suppliers and researchers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with hundreds of active life scientists. The semi-annual BioResearch Product Faire ™ Event at the University of California, Los Angeles will be held on April 4^th, 2019

 
 "This vendor show was by far the best I've attended in 3 years. It was very organized and professional, with lots of great new products"

 Laboratory suppliers looking for new leads, and life science researchers interested in discovering the best and newest products available for their labs are invited to attend this popular twice yearly event. To learn more about participating in the upcoming event, visit the links below: