Preclinical trials have been completed for Russia’s first cellular therapy designed to treat forms of breast cancer resistant to standard treatment. The study was conducted by scientists from Sechenov University in collaboration with colleagues from the Novosibirsk Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology.
The development is based on TCR-T therapy, an approach that “teaches” the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells. “We take a patient’s own immune cells (T-lymphocytes) and ‘reprogram’ them. After that, they begin to locate and eliminate tumor cells without damaging healthy tissues,” explained Elena Golikova, head of the Laboratory of Immune Engineering at Sechenov University. She stated that studies on laboratory models demonstrated the drug’s high efficacy—up to complete tumor regression in mice—along with a favorable safety profile.
The new therapy is expected to improve the therapeutic profile for hard-to-treat breast cancer by boosting efficacy and limiting adverse reactions. Subsequently, the research team aims to expand its cellular therapy pipeline to target the majority of epithelial cancers.
