Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a nanotechnology platform that can sensitize solid tumor cells to immunotherapy by artificially attaching an activation molecule to the surface of tumor cells, triggering an immune response. The approach, called bispecific tumor-transforming nanoconjugate (BiTN), has the potential to be a universal strategy for several different solid tumor types. The researchers successfully used BiTN to attach the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 7 (SLAMF7) to HER2-positive breast cancer cells, resulting in phagocytosis by immune cells and sensitizing the cancer cells to treatment with an anti-CD47 antibody. The study’s authors suggest that this adaptable immune conversion approach has promising potential for broad application across many cancer types.
Date: 2June, 2023
