M Health Fairview has world leaders in natural killer (NK) therapy development. Masonic Cancer Center is the site of groundbreaking NK cell therapy research.
Cellular therapies supplement the immune system’s natural ability to fight cancer in several ways. Some cellular therapies modify immune cells (certain T-lymphocytes, for example) to target and destroy cancer cells.
Overview
Other cellular therapies merge with tumor cells and train the body’s immune system to recognize and kill other tumor cells. All cellular therapies use cells from the patient’s blood and then modify or strengthen them to attack cancer more effectively, expand them to greater numbers, and return them back into the patient’s bloodstream.
M Health Fairview’s experts treat adult and pediatric patients with cancer using a variety of cellular therapies depending on age, including CAR T-cell therapy and BMT therapy, and University of Minnesota investigators are world leaders in studying and developing natural killer (NK) cell therapies, which are still an experimental cancer treatment.
Our approach
M Health Fairview has world leaders in natural killer (NK) therapy development. Masonic Cancer Center is the site of groundbreaking NK cell therapy research.
NK cells are the immune system’s assassins. They are produced by the body in order to target and kill abnormal and malignant cells. Our researchers have discovered how to create NK cells from stem cells, and studies are underway with the goal of improving NK therapy techniques; to make “off-the-shelf” living cells that can be given several times to extend treatments for patients with cancer.
NK cell therapy offers hope to patients with high-risk blood cancers, including several types of leukemia. For these patients, a typical course of treatment may include chemotherapy to prevent rejection of the infused NK cells, and for those patients who get a complete remission, many patients elect to undergo a potentially curative stem cell transplant (or bone marrow transplant) to lessen the chance of relapse.
NK therapy is particularly promising because it offers a way to boost the immune system with active cancer fighting cells. It can be used after chemotherapy by infusion of donor NK cells (from a family member or synthesized universal donor cells) and they can target and kill remaining cancer cells. If the cancer goes into remission with NK cell therapy, they may be eligible for a stem cell transplant. Success in leukemia treatment has allowed additional studies treating patients with advanced solid tumors including colon, lung, breast, and head and neck cancers and NK therapy into the abdominal cavity for women with ovarian cancer.
M Health Fairview is a world leader in NK cell therapy. Together with our robust blood and marrow transplant program, we offer unmatched experience and expertise in cellular therapies.
We have a number of clinical trials open for patients with blood cancers and solid tumors. Please visit this page for a list of our trials and contact information to learn more.