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CTLs, NK cells and NK-derived EVs against breast cancer

Panagiotis Parsonidis1, Alexandra Mamagkaki1, Ioannis Papasotiriou2

  • 1Research Genetic Cancer Centre S.A., Florina, Greece.

Human Immunology
|March 16, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) show promise as a novel breast cancer therapy, demonstrating superior efficacy against cancer cells compared to NK cells and NK-derived EVs. Further research is needed to confirm safety and optimize these immunotherapies.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Advanced breast cancer necessitates innovative therapeutic strategies.
  • Adoptive cellular therapies and cell-free immunotherapies represent emerging treatment modalities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the cytotoxic potential of patient-derived Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), Natural Killer (NK) cells, and NK-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) against breast cancer.
  • To assess the feasibility of developing novel immunotherapies for breast cancer using these components.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro assessment of cytotoxic activity using flow cytometry.
  • Activation of CTLs against the MUC-1 antigen.
  • In vivo evaluation of adoptive cell therapy in a mouse model.

Main Results:

  • CTLs exhibited significantly higher cytotoxicity against MCF7 breast adenocarcinoma spheroids than NK cells.
  • NK-derived EVs demonstrated the lowest cytotoxic effect compared to both CTLs and NK cells.
  • Adoptive cell therapy with MUC-1 specific CTLs was well-tolerated and showed moderate efficacy in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • MUC-1 specific CTLs show potential as a tolerable and moderately efficacious breast cancer therapy, warranting further clinical investigation.
  • NK cells and NK-derived EVs are promising immunotherapy candidates but require further research to enhance their cytotoxic activity.
Keywords:
Breast cancerCellular therapyEVsImmune cellsImmunotherapy

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