Cancer ResearchUSC Scientists Grow Endless Cancer-Fighting Immune Cells From Self-Renewing Precursors
Scientists at USC have discovered a way to endlessly grow and engineer immune-cell precursors called granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs), which produce macrophages — the immune cells that naturally infiltrate and attack tumors. Published in Cell, the study shows GMPs can self-renew indefinitely in the lab, something previously thought exclusive to stem cells. These cells were genetically modified to recognize cancer, fought tumors in animal studies, and showed promise as an off-the-shelf therapy. This could overcome major limitations of current macrophage therapies, including poor scalability, difficulty with genetic engineering, and organ accumulation, potentially opening a new era of immunotherapy especially effective against solid tumors.
