Scientists at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis found that treating T cells in the immune system with vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) before they are introduced into the body can increase their effectiveness at killing cancer. An innovative approach led to cures in resistant cancer patients. The research was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Immunotherapy for various types of blood cancer by reprogramming natural T cells has shown promising results, but is not effective for some patients. In a new study, scientists found a solution to this problem. They have developed a method to make immune cells more effective in fighting cancer.
Natural T cells were treated with nicotinamide, also known as vitamin B3, in the laboratory and then injected into patients. T cells are lymphocytes that are part of the innate immune system. They fight microbes and also destroy cancer cells that regularly form in the human body.
Scientists conducted a clinical trial on 30 patients with recurrent or treatment-resistant blood cancer. Of the 19 patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 11 had a complete response to treatment and three had a partial response. The team found that nicotinamide protected T cells from oxidative stress, increasing their survival and ability to invade lymph nodes and detect and kill cancer cells.
The scientists’ discovery could lead to a new method of combating resistant blood cancers entering medicine.
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