Kyoto University is seen in Kyoto’s Sakyo Ward. (Mainichi/Yuki Noguchi)
KYOTO — A team of researchers at Kyoto University announced it successfully removed cancer cells and immune cells responsible for autoimmune disorders, using a newly developed protein designed to “eat” unnecessary body cells in mice experiments.
The findings by the team, led by professor of membrane biology Atsushi Suzuki, were published in the British scientific journal “Nature Biomedical Engineering” on Sept. 3.
Unnecessary cells accumulated in the body can trigger various illnesses. It is expected that the selective removal of such cells can lead to the development of new treatment methods.
In the human body, between 10 billion and 100 billion cells die each day after fulfilling their roles, which are then consumed and broken down by phagocytes before being removed from the body. However, if those unnecessary cells accumulate without dying due to aging and other factors, they can lead to cancer and autoimmune disorders. To induce the death of such cells, researchers are developing treatment methods using chemical substances and antibodies, but completely removing them has been difficult.
The Kyoto University team focused on a protein that acts as a bridge between dead cells and phagocytes, in order to directly remove unwanted cells while they are still alive. They synthesized a protein designed to recognize unnecessary cells as its targets and bind to them, and successfully inducing their removal by phagocytes.
The team named the synthetic protein “Crunch” and administered it to a mouse implanted with malignant melanoma, and confirmed that 20 to 30% of its cancer cells had been removed. Furthermore, the researchers found that in a mouse with an autoimmune disorder, where its own immune system mistakenly attacks normal cells and tissues, the cells responsible for the disorders were reduced by around 15% after it was administered with the protein.
To commercialize the new protein, the researchers have founded a startup and are aiming to commence clinical trials within three years. Professor Suzuki commented, “The strength of Crunch is that it can be designed to target and eat a wide range of cells. It will also be possible to use the protein in combination with existing treatment methods, and putting it into practical use will lead to the prevention of diseases.”
(Japanese original by Yin Tanaka, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)
AloJapan.com