Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco have engineered a molecular "on switch" that allows tight control over the actions of immune cells known as T cells, according to new research published in Science Express.
T cells form part of the immune system, and increasingly, scientists are seeking ways to maximize their anticancer potential while minimizing the side effects.
Over the past 2 decades, cell therapy - a branch of cancer immunotherapy - has focused on refining cell-surface sensors known as chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs.
When CARs are inserted into T cells, they prompt the T cells to home in on particular proteins found primarily in tumors, where they launch a series of cancer-killing immune responses. These cells are called CAR T cells.
CAR T cells have been used successfully to treat various forms of chemotherapy-resistant leukemia.