Study: Tumor-Killing Cells from Stem Cells More Potent

MINNEAPOLIS - New research at the University of Minnesota shows natural killer cells taken from human embryonic stem cells are more effective at killing tumors than cells taken from other sources.

A research team led by Dan Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D. demonstrated natural killer cells from human embryonic stem cells are better at killing human leukemia in mice, preventing the cancer from metastasizing in any of the animal’s organs.

The study has also shown stem cell-derived tumor-killing cells are highly effective in killing breast cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer and brain tumor cells.

“These recent studies really advance previous work done in our lab to produce a population of natural killer cells from human embryonic stem cells,” Kaufman said. “We’ve now proven that these cells are much more potent and effective at killing tumor cells than those coming from other sources like human umbilical cord blood, and we’ve been able to identify some of the reasons why."

Natural killer cells are naturally-occurring cells that work as part of the immune system to protect the body from viruses and tumors. When cancer overwhelms the immune system, scientists have sought other sources of killer cells to boost immunity.

Kaufman's team was able to determine that natural killer cells developed from human embryonic stem cells mature much earlier than those developed from umbilical cord blood, making them more effective.

Kaufman said the next goal is to produce enough of the cells to treat humans, rather than mice.

"Based on the history of cell-based therapies at the university, I see this as very feasible," he said. "But it will take time based on the resources available to get to the scale of human treatments.”

Kaufman’s paper, entitled, “Human embryonic stem cells differentiate into a homogeneous population of natural killer cells with potent in vivo anti-tumor activity,” will be published in an upcoming issue of Blood.