March 18, 2022

CAR-NK cells for cancer immunotherapy: from bench to bedside

Natural killer (NK) cells are unique innate immune cells and manifest rapid and potent cytotoxicity for cancer immunotherapy and pathogen removal without the requirement of prior sensitization or recognition of peptide antigens.

October 18, 2022

‘In vivo’ cell therapy: expanding beyond CAR-T

Immunologist Carl June and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania were struggling to raise money for a small study of a cell therapy for leukemia. The trial “was an academic exercise,” said June. “We had no idea it would turn into a commercially viable product.”…

May 19, 2022

Gene therapy hits it’s stride in the clinic

Gene therapy has a history of presenting possibilities that stay out of reach for a long time. The tantalizing idea of using exogenous “good” DNA to replace defective DNA was suggested by Stanfield Rogers in 1970. Then, in 1972, the idea was elaborated upon by Theodore Friedmann and Richard Roblin, who wrote…

October 21, 2022

Gene therapy could change the goalpost in sickle cell disease

Despite a recent spate of FDA approvals for sickle cell disease (SCD), there is still significant unmet need for patients – namely, a treatment that can correct the culprit behind the disease…

September 26, 2022

CRISPR knockout of a chromatin remodeling factor reverses T cell exhaustion

T cell exhaustion is the bane of any cellular immunotherapy – terminally exhausted T cells fail to persist and proliferate in vivo and are unable to clear tumours…

March 24, 2022

Immunotherapeutic targeting of activating natural killer cell receptors and their ligands in cancer

Natural killer (NK) cells exert an important role in cancer immune surveillance. Recognition of malignant cells and controlled activation of effector functions are facilitated by the expression of activating…

October 6, 2022

Will manufacturing be the stumbling block for T-cell therapies?

Immune cellular therapies are poised to bring about a dramatic change in healthcare. They promise to cure dreadful diseases such as cancer. Yes, cure. Imagine what it would be like to move past symptom management or treatments that are unsatisfactory because they reduce quality of life or leave patients in fear of disease recurrence…

September 22, 2022

Viral vectors and plasmid DNA manufacturing market size is projected to reach USD 9.87 billion by 2030

Vectors are instruments that are used to carry genetic material into cells, and viral vectors are one such tool. Viruses have developed specific mechanisms that allow them to transfer their genomes into the cells…

October 13, 2022

Examining bioprocessing scale-up challenges and technology solutions

The number of novel cell and gene therapeutics gaining regulatory approval is on the rise to treat a variety of human diseases. Yet, these complex biologics-based therapies present challenges for drug companies as to the best approach to increase the manufacturing volumes in a cost-effective for mainstream use…