By Dr. Prajakta Banik – Tech Explorist
Cell therapy, a promising approach to treating various diseases, involves harnessing the power of a patient’s immune cells to target and destroy specific harmful cells, such as cancerous ones. However, a significant challenge in cell therapy is the risk of “friendly fire,” where these immune cells inadvertently attack healthy tissues, leading to potentially severe side effects. In a breakthrough study, researchers have uncovered a novel approach to mitigate this issue and reduce the occurrence of friendly fire in cell therapy.
In CAR T-cell therapy, a promising form of immunotherapy, patient T cells are genetically modified to target and attack cancer cells more effectively. However, a significant issue arises as these engineered T cells start attacking other T cells due to remnants of cancer antigens, depleting the body of vital cancer-fighting cells and potentially leading to cancer recurrence.