A recent collaborative study published by Amgen and Kite Pharma cites the use of HemaCare sourced peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in their investigative effort on the development of a novel CAR T cell therapy. [1]
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a form of blood cancer characterized by the rapid buildup of abnormal cells in the bone marrow. The disease affects about a million people globally and, tragically, has a less than 30% survival rate.
A paper published in the journal Blood cites the use of HemaCare-sourced peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to test a murine model of a new antibody-based cancer immunotherapy.
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a life-threatening disease that accounts for 10-15% of all blood-based cancers. The disease occurs when a specific group of white blood cells, known as plasma cells, become malignant. T cell therapy has shown some promise in treating the disease on a temporary basis, but with very few cancer-specific targets identified, MM remains incurable.
An independent study carried out at a Cellular Technology Ltd. cites using HemaCare PBMCs in their efforts to replicate physiological B cell activation in an assay format. [1]
Memory B cells function as the foundation of the adaptive immune system, creating a physiological catalogue of foreign antigens that can be used to “recognize” invading pathogens and trigger an immune response. Memory B cells can survive for decades, creating long-term protection against diseases that have been encountered previously.
Cell therapy starting materials sourced from HemaCare are being used to support studies focused on the selective expansion of tumor-specific T cells.
In a recent article, [1] researchers at a Cambridge, MA biotech company describe their work with a fusion protein designed to specifically activate and expand killer T cells that recognize human papilloma virus associated (HPV+) head and neck cancer cells.
In a recent study, scientists at UCLA medical school cited using HemaCare sourced PBMCs for their research into a novel cancer immunotherapy strategy. [1]
This promising new strategy is based on cellular structures known as exosomes, which are small membrane-bound packets used to deliver protein “messages” from cell to cell. Because exosomes are known to facilitate cell-to-cell communications, researchers were keen to figure out whether they could be used to communicate the information immune cells need to target cancer.