A team led by FSU’s Qing-Xiang “Amy” Sang is working to improve the ability of natural killer immune cells to attack a rare pediatric brain cancer. “Natural killer cells … patrol the body and recognize viruses, bacteria and other pathogens, as well as cancer cells,” says Sang. “Our goal is to enhance both the quantity and quality of these cells, making them more potent in their ability to combat cancer.”
The team hopes to develop a treatment with fewer side effects than chemotherapy or radiation therapy. They derived natural killer cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, which do not pose a risk of rejection by the immune system, unlike feeder cells from mice. They also enhanced the immune quality of the cells by using different proteins to stimulate them to have more killing power.
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