"Immune function reconstruction method using pluripotent stem cells", which was born from the research results of Professor Hiromitsu Nakauchi of the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, was registered as a patent on November 29, 11 in Japan as well as in the United States. It became.
This patent relates to a method for establishing iPS cells from T cells and inducing differentiation of the established iPS cells into functional T cells while maintaining the recombinant structure of the TCR gene possessed by the original T cells. thing.
In the body of cancer patients, the immune function to eliminate cancer is often reduced due to various causes.Therefore, it is said that functional replacement and regeneration of immune cells, especially T cells having high cancer cell damaging ability, are effective means for improving the pathological condition and the therapeutic effect.
Of particular importance is the ability to specifically recognize cancer cells. In recent years, attempts have been made to supplement and enhance specific immune responses by introducing antigen-specific TCR genes into various immune cells in vitro. ..However, this method has problems such as low T cell proliferation efficiency and functional deterioration in vitro, and low TCR gene transfer efficiency.
On the other hand, in the technology of this patent, in addition to establishing iPS cells with high proliferative ability from human T cells, the established iPS cells are reconstituted with the same TCR gene as the original antigen-specific T cells. It makes it possible to induce differentiation again into functional T cells that maintain high antigen specificity.Immune cell therapy in which the T cells thus obtained are transplanted into the patient's body is expected to be an effective means for improving the cancer therapeutic effect.
