Cell Purification for Disease Treatment

introduction

Improving the process of purifying therapeutic cells can enhance the use of these cells for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Diverse cell therapies involve the injection of specific types of cells into the patient, including stem cells from bone marrow and T cells, which are utilized in cell therapy and immunotherapy. Before these cells are transplanted, they must be purified to prevent unwanted cells from interfering with the therapeutic cells. This process can be inefficient and limited, or it may damage the cells required for transplantation, rendering them unusable.

Many active purification techniques utilize antibodies that bind to cell surface receptors. However, because these receptors can be shared among many cell types, this approach does not necessarily isolate the desired cells, resulting in an impure population. Hirohide Saito and colleagues at Kyoto University are investigating a method that targets the intracellular characteristics of cells rather than their surface features. Their approach seeks to utilize highly specific microRNAs that appear to operate in a more selective manner and cause less damage to cells. MicroRNAs play a role in the activation or silencing of genes.

These Japanese researchers have designed a synthetic tool called the miRNA switch, which can identify microRNAs within cells. Using this tool, they have successfully purified several types of cells, resulting in samples that include pure cardiac muscle cells, pure liver cells, and more. The percentage of purified cells obtained through this method is significantly higher than that achieved using standard techniques that rely on antibodies. Additionally, cells are less likely to be damaged using this approach. The researchers hope that this improved system will provide more suitable and effective cells for cell therapy.