Antigen-specific co-stimulation to enhance the anti-tumour activity of TCR gene modified cytotoxic T lymphocytes

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The immune system can protect individuals against virus infection and against the growth of certain types of tumours. Some human cancers are caused by viruses, which allows the immune system to recognise and eliminate the virus-infected cancer cells. Killer cells of the immune system are particularly important for this elimination, as they possess receptor molecules that allow them to specifically recognise and kill infected cancer cells.Unfortunately, many human cancers are not caused by virus infection and therefore do not contain virus-derived markers that are recognised by killer cells. As a consequence, killer cells cannot efficiently recognise and kill such cancer cells. In this project we will gene modify killer cells such that they can efficiently recognise human cancer cells. We will introduce into killer cells the genes coding for two receptors that specifically recognise markers that are present in various human cancer cells. In this way, the killer cells can use two receptors and simultaneously recognise two markers present in cancer cells, which should result in efficient cancer cell killing.