Giving T cells extra batteries supercharges them against cancer
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital enhanced T cells by adding mitochondria, improving their effectiveness against tumors in mice, suggesting potential for personalized immunotherapy and marking a breakthrough in cancer treatment.
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Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed a method to enhance T cells, the immune system's primary defense against cancer, by providing them with additional mitochondria, which act as energy sources. This approach addresses the issue of T cell exhaustion, a common problem in cancer treatment where immune cells become depleted and ineffective due to the toxic microenvironments created by tumors. In laboratory tests, T cells were cultured with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), resulting in a significant number of T cells acquiring extra mitochondria, termed Mito+ cells. These enhanced T cells demonstrated improved tumor penetration and a stronger attack on cancer cells in mouse models, leading to substantial tumor shrinkage and a 75% survival rate over a 60-day period, compared to control mice that all died by day 20. The researchers suggest that this mitochondrial transfer could pave the way for personalized immunotherapy, where patients' own BMSCs are used to supercharge their immune cells before reintroduction into the body. This innovative approach is being referred to as organellar therapy, marking a potential breakthrough in cancer treatment.
- Researchers have found a way to enhance T cells by providing them with extra mitochondria.
- Enhanced T cells, called Mito+ cells, showed improved effectiveness against tumors in mouse models.
- The study indicates a potential for personalized immunotherapy using patients' own cells.
- This method addresses T cell exhaustion, a significant barrier in cancer treatment.
- The research represents a new approach termed organellar therapy.
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- Many commenters express fascination with the complexity of biology and the implications of manipulating T cells.
- There are concerns about the potential risks associated with increasing mitochondria in T cells, including the possibility of leukemia.
- Some users draw analogies between mitochondria and batteries, emphasizing the importance of mitochondrial health for overall cell function.
- Several comments humorously speculate about the commercialization of mitochondria, suggesting products like "Mitochondria Milkshake."
- Questions arise regarding the specific types of cancer that could benefit from this research.
15 commentsBiology is nuts.
Regarding messing with T-cells I wonder how evolution came up with the current number of mitochondria per cell. Usually with these things there's some kind of push and pull between the benefits of something and the drawbacks. Or sometimes it's just whatever works. I know mitochondria can have some negative impacts on cells sometimes by releasing the byproducts of metabolism (reactive oxygen species) or triggering programmed cell death.
What an incredibly simple idea. Just scale it up.
So I wondered how one could increase the number of mitochondria and quickly found this nice piece from 2017 about promoting mitochondrial fission in mid-life (ok in fruit flys):
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-00525-4
I'm pretty sure maintaining mitochondrial health will help a lot of health problems. They seem to come up every little while in regard to many different pathologies.
I found my way there after an Alan Kay video -- OPSLA 1997 - The computer revolution hasnt happened yet: https://youtu.be/oKg1hTOQXoY?t=1787
On the subject of awe, here's another from Kurszsegat - The Most Complex Language in the World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYPFenJQciw
Isn't that a risk of leukemia? One that could've killed the mice, but after more than the 60 days of the study?
But even 60+ days vs. 20 days is better, so...
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/seventh-person-cu...
The donor had 2 copies of the CCR5 gene, which resulted in HIV not being able to enter immune cells (like T cells) as efficiently, giving them time to fight it off.
Is this accurate? I thought T cells can't multiply.
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