Research performed by Roeland Lameris, a researcher in the lab of Hans van Vliet at the Cancer Center Amsterdam, introduces a potential new immunotherapeutic strategy. The findings, published in Nature Cancer, are the result of a close collaboration with the research group of Jamie Rossjohn at the Monash University in Australia.

The authors highlight the potential for a llama-derived antibody fragment, known as a single domain antibody, that acts as a bridge to link together two key immune cell receptors – the CD1d receptor and the T cell receptor of natural killer T (NKT) cells – in order to enhance the body’s immune response to cancer. The CD1d receptor is frequently expressed by tumor cells, and NKT cells are positioned at the interface between the innate and adaptive immune system and play an important role in the host-rejection of both tumors and virally infected cells. Preclinical research, in a collaborative effort with Lava Therapeutics, demonstrated that a CD1d-NKT cell targeting antibody resulted in significant activation of NKT cells and the subsequent killing of CD1d-expressing tumor cells in multiple tumor samples, including multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia.

Link to read the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43018-020-00111-6

For more background, see the press release from Lava Therapeutics (a start-up biotech originating from Cancer Center Amsterdam : https://lavatherapeutics.com/news/lava-therapeutics-amsterdam-umc-and-monash-university-announce-publication-of-a-novel-cancer-immunotherapy-approach-in-nature-cancer/