I Care Biotech is developing new methods for cultivating invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, aiming to more effectively assist in the treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases with fewer side effects.
Immunotherapy is considered better than chemotherapy and target therapy in treating cancers, as it utilizes stem cells to activate the immune systems of patients to attack cancer cells without using excessive medication, the company said.
Stem cells can be sourced from umbilical cord blood, bone marrow or peripheral blood, but collecting stem cells from peripheral blood is considered safer and enables patients to recover sooner, it said.
Photo courtesy of the I Care Biotech
The iNKT cells in peripheral blood have been found to be effective in inhibiting cancer development and regulating immune system functions, making their use in clinical treatment quite promising, but the amount found in the blood is far less than is needed for therapeutic use, I Care Biotech said.
Currently, a patient has to visit a hospital to receive granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) injections for five days to stimulate the growth of white blood cells, and must return to the hospital many times for cell collection, the company said.
To accelerate stem cell collection and reduce the patients’ pain, the company is developing techniques that can efficiently separate iNKT cells from blood samples and increase their number in a short time, it said.
The company has introduced from Japan a cell culture liquid that contains human sera, instead of fetal bovine sera commonly used in other cell culture methods, said Lin Kai-hsin (林凱信), a consultant for the company and professor emeritus at National Taiwan University’s Department of Pediatrics.
Using fetal bovine sera risks cross-infection with human blood samples, including the potential danger posed by mad cow disease, he said.
The advantages of iNKT cells were confirmed in only three or four years, thus their uses are mostly still being researched and developed, Lin said.
So far, I Care Biotech’s experiments have not found any negative side effects regarding the therapeutic use of iNKT cells, but no research has been conducted on real patients, he added.
The company’s research goal is to increase the number of iNKT cells in in vitro environments, he said, adding that the cells can be frozen for future use in assisting in the treatment of cancers or autoimmune diseases.
When related techniques mature, the iNKT cells are expected to facilitate the treatment of autoimmune diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as metabolic diseases, such as obesity, glucose intolerance, atherosclerosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the company said.
People who plan to have their stem cells collected by the company must sign a contract and receive physical examinations in advance, it said.
After doctors confirm that their physical condition is good enough, they would receive G-CSF injections for five days before their stem cells are collected, it said.
The company has obtained the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Good Tissue Practice certificate for its laboratories that handle the samples, it said, adding that the laboratories are also equipped with around-the-clock monitoring systems.
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