University of Ottawa

Purpose

Specialized cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are derived from mature tissue, such as the skin, and have accelerated the development of cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and other hard-to-treat diseases. However, the processes used to convert cells taken from a patient into a therapeutic product could be more efficient and easier to control. The project focuses on iPSC-derived CAR-NK immune cells, an upcoming anticancer therapy technology in which cells from a patient are modified and reintroduced to stimulate the patient's anticancer immune defences. Previous studies show that current production methods yield a low number of CAR-NK cells and that these cells rapidly lose their therapeutic attributes. The project investigates if new genome engineering strategies can improve the production of iPSC-derived CAR-NK immune cells. It has the potential to set new standards for stem cell manipulation and iPSC-derived therapy production that will bring CAR-NK anticancer therapies closer to the clinic.