体内で免疫細胞をプログラムしてがんを攻撃する新手法(Immune cells are programmed within the body to fight cancer)

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2026-03-18 カロリンスカ研究所(KI)

カロリンスカ研究所の研究チームは、免疫細胞が体内でプログラムされ、がんと戦う能力を獲得する仕組みを解明した。従来は免疫細胞の機能は主に外部操作で強化されると考えられていたが、本研究は体内環境が免疫細胞の性質を再構築し、抗腫瘍活性を高めることを示した。特に、特定のシグナルや細胞間相互作用が免疫細胞の機能的変化を誘導し、持続的な抗がん応答に寄与することが明らかとなった。この知見は、体内で免疫を強化する新たな治療戦略の基盤となり、より効果的で持続的ながん免疫療法の開発に貢献すると期待される。

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生体内における部位特異的な遺伝子操作によるT細胞の再プログラム化 In vivo site-specific engineering to reprogram T cells

William A. Nyberg,Pierre-Louis Bernard,Wayne Ngo,Charlotte H. Wang,Jonathan Ark,Allison Rothrock,Gina M. Borgo,Gabriella R. Kimmerly,Jae Hyung Jung,Vincent Allain,Jennifer R. Hamilton,Alisha Baldwin,Robert Stickels,Sarah Wyman,Safwaan H. Khan,Shanshan Lang,Donna Marsh,Niran Almudhfar,Catherine Novick,Yasaman Mortazavi,Shimin Zhang,Mahmoud M. AbdElwakil,Luis R. Sandoval,Sidney Hwang,… Justin Eyquem
Nature  Published:18 March 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10235-x

体内で免疫細胞をプログラムしてがんを攻撃する新手法(Immune cells are programmed within the body to fight cancer)

Abstract

Engineered T cells, reprogrammed to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) or T cell receptors (TCR), have transformed cancer treatment and are being explored as therapeutics for autoimmune and infectious diseases. Enhancing T cell function through genome editing, either by disrupting endogenous genes or precisely inserting DNA payloads, has shown considerable promise1. However, the ex vivo manufacturing process is lengthy and costly, limiting accessibility of these therapies. In vivo generation of CAR T cells could overcome these barriers, but current methods rely either on transient expression with limited durability, or on random integration of DNA payloads that lack specificity. Here we demonstrate that stable and cell-specific transgene expression can be achieved through in vivo site-specific integration of large DNA payloads. We developed a two-vector system to deliver CRISPR–Cas9 ribonucleoproteins and a DNA donor template, using enveloped delivery vehicles and adeno-associated viruses, respectively. We optimized both vectors for T cell-specific delivery and gene-targeting efficiency. By integrating a CAR transgene into a T cell-specific locus, we generate therapeutic levels of CAR T cells in vivo in humanized mouse models of B cell aplasia, and haematological and solid malignancies. These findings offer a pathway to more efficient, precise and widely accessible T cell therapies.

医療・健康
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