A promising treatment targets a common type of bone cancer

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A new type of immunotherapy, developed by researchers from University College London, has shown promising laboratory results against bone cancer called "osteosarcoma."

Osteosarcoma is known as the most common type of bone cancer among adolescents, but it is still relatively rare. 

Health experts explained that it is "particularly difficult" to treat cancer that begins in the bones, or spreads to them, which means that it is a major cause of cancer-related death. It is also often resistant to chemotherapy, so new treatments are needed.

Results of a recent trial in mice found that using a small subset of immune cells, called gamma delta T cells (gdT cells), could provide a cost-effective solution.

GdT cells are a lesser-known type of immune cell that can be made from a donor's healthy immune cells. It has strong innate anti-cancer properties and can be safely transferred from one person to another.

The study included taking blood samples from a healthy donor to engineer gdT cells, so that they can release tumor-targeting antibodies as well as immune-stimulating chemicals called cytokines, before injecting them into the patient with bone cancer. This new treatment delivery platform is called OPS-gdT.

The researchers tested the treatment on mouse models of bone cancer, and found that OPS-gdT cells were superior to conventional immunotherapy when controlling osteosarcoma growth.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Jonathan Fisher, said: “Current immunotherapies such as CAR-T cells (another type of immunotherapy that uses genetically modified immune cells) use the patient’s own immune cells to engineer them and improve their cancer-killing properties, but this treatment is expensive.” "It takes time, as the disease can worsen during this period."

He added: "The alternative is to use a 'ready-made' treatment made from healthy immune cells from a donor. However, care must be taken to avoid the donor immune cells attacking the patient's body."

The team is now working to produce data on the effectiveness of OPS-gdT cells in secondary bone cancers.

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.