Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Immune cells get cancer-fighting boost from nanomaterials

Abstract:
Scientists at Yale University have developed a novel cancer immunotherapy that rapidly grows and enhances a patient's immune cells outside the body using carbon nanotube-polymer composites; the immune cells can then be injected back into a patient's blood to boost the immune response or fight cancer.

Immune cells get cancer-fighting boost from nanomaterials

New Haven, CT | Posted on August 13th, 2014

As reported Aug. 3 in Nature Nanotechnology, the researchers used bundled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to incubate cytotoxic T cells, a type of white blood cell that is important to immune system functions. According to the researchers, the topography of the CNTs enhances interactions between cells and long-term cultures, providing a fast and effective stimulation of the cytotoxic T cells that are important for eradicating cancer.

The researchers modified the CNTs by chemically binding them to polymer nanoparticles that held Interleukin-2, a cell signaling protein that encourages T cell growth and proliferation. Additionally, in order to mimic the body's methods for stimulating cytotoxic T cell proliferation, the scientists seeded the surfaces of the CNTs with molecules that signaled which of the patient's cells were foreign or toxic and should be attacked.

Over the span of 14 days, the number of T cells cultured on the composite nanosystem expanded by a factor of 200, according to the researchers. Also, the method required 1,000 times less Interleukin-2 than conventional culture conditions. A magnet was used to separate the CNT-polymer composites from the T cells prior to injection.

"In repressing the body's immune response, tumors are like a castle with a moat around it," says Tarek Fahmy, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and the study's principal investigator. "Our method recruits significantly more cells to the battle and arms them to become superkillers."

According to Fahmy, previous procedures for boosting antigen-specific T cells required exposing the patient's harvested immune cells to other cells that stimulate activation and proliferation, a costly procedure that risks an adverse reaction to foreign cells. The Yale team's use of magnetic CNT-polymer composites eliminates that risk by using simple, inexpensive magnets.

"Modulatory nanotechnologies can present unique opportunities for promising new therapies such as T cell immunotherapy," says Tarek Fadel, lead author of the research and a Yale postdoc who is currently a staff scientist with the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office. "Engineers are progressing toward the design of the next generations of nanomaterials, allowing for further breakthrough in many fields, including cancer research."

Two additional Yale engineering faculty contributed to this article: Gary Haller, the Henry Prentiss Becton Professor of Engineering and Applied Science and a professor of chemistry; and Lisa Pfefferle, the C. Baldwin Sawyer Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. Other authors include Fiona Sharp, Nalini Vudattu, Ragy Ragheb, Justin Garyu, Dongin Kim, Enping Hong, Nan Li, Sune Justesen, and Kevan Herold.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Jim Shelton
(203) 432-3881

Copyright © Yale University

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Nanotubes/Buckyballs/Fullerenes/Nanorods/Nanostrings

Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers: Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material January 12th, 2024

TU Delft researchers discover new ultra strong material for microchip sensors: A material that doesn't just rival the strength of diamonds and graphene, but boasts a yield strength 10 times greater than Kevlar, renowned for its use in bulletproof vests November 3rd, 2023

Tests find no free-standing nanotubes released from tire tread wear September 8th, 2023

Detection of bacteria and viruses with fluorescent nanotubes July 21st, 2023

Nanomedicine

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Discoveries

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Focused ion beam technology: A single tool for a wide range of applications January 12th, 2024

Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers: Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material January 12th, 2024

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project