Universal therapy: Harnessing novel immune cells as the next frontier to fight solid tumours
Background
The most common cancers in Australia are prostate, breast, melanoma, bowel (colorectal) and lung cancer. These five cancers are all solid cancers and account for over 55% of all cancers diagnosed in Australia.
Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that boosts the body’s own immune system to fight cancer and has the potential to revolutionise cancer treatments. Immunotherapies that use T-cells (a type of white blood cell that can destroy abnormal cells) have had successes in treating blood cancers, however, they are still lacking in the treatment of solid tumours.
About the project
Dr Koay and her team are developing a novel type of immunotherapy which targets a specialised subset of T-cells which possess the potential to attack cancer more effectively than existing T-cell immunotherapies. This new type of immunotherapy uses tiny, highly specific molecules which can enter tissues more effectively due to its smaller size, which makes this a promising treatment for solid tumours. This treatment would also be more widely accessible than current immunotherapies, which can be restricted by differences between a donor and recipient’s blood.
Impact
This research could lead to the development of a highly targeted immunotherapy that works across a wide range of solid cancers, with reduced negative side effects. If successful, this novel form of immunotherapy has the potential to unlock an exciting new treatment option to improve outcomes in patients with hard-to-treat solid cancers, while informing the future of T-cell immunotherapies.