Chinese scientists have reported the discovery of a new immune checkpoint, which might help in the treatment of blood cancers.
Laboratory studies suggest that blocking the CD300A protein triggers a “significant boost” in the activity of natural killer (NK) cells against cancer cells, according to the researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China.
Reporting in Cancer Biology & Medicine, the researchers say the CD300A protein is a type 1 transmembrane protein with immunoreceptor tyrosine based inhibitory motifs. The protein aids the defence of cancer cells against NK cells by interacting with phosphatidylserine, a molecule sometimes found on the surface of cancer cells, the researchers report.
The researchers say this may offer a new strategy to overcome the challenges of immune checkpoint therapy, such as immune related adverse events and low response rates.
The researchers successfully tested their approach on laboratory mice xenografted with human blood cancer cell lines. They used the HL60 cell line, which is derived from a woman with acute promyelocytic leukaemia, and K562, a human chronic myeloid leukaemia cell line.
They blocked the activity of CD300A using a specially designed antibody, TX49.
Zhigang Tian, co-leader of the study, said: “By targeting CD300A, we can potentially enhance the anti-tumour function of NK cells. This could open new avenues for treating haematologic malignancies and possibly other cancer types.”
Source:
Li S, Wang T, Xiao X, Zheng X, Sun H, Sun R, Ma H, Tian Z, Zheng X. (2024) “Blockade of CD300A enhances the ability of human NK cells to lyse hematologic malignancies.” Cancer Biology & Medicine, 29 February 2024, doi: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0341.
Link: https://www.cancerbiomed.org/content/early/2024/02/29/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0341
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