February 23, 2013
RIKEN Researcher to Discuss Breakthrough in the Development of Killer T Lymphocytes at the 2nd Annual Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in Washington DC
In the first US presentation of their discovery, Raul Vizcardo, Ph.D, will discuss RIKEN Research Center’s breakthrough in creating cancer-specific, immune system cells called killer T lymphocytes, from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) at the 2nd Annual Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in Washington DC on April 4-5, 2013, hosted by Arrowhead Publishers and Conferences.
The RIKEN team was able to reprogram mature human killer T lymphocytes into iPS cells in order to investigate how the cells differentiate and then reprogram the cells back into functional T cells. With this development, the team may be on the way to discovering the means to treating tumor cells directly, which could lead to an easing of side effects from cancer treatments.
About the development, Dr. Hiroshi Kawamoto said, "We have succeeded in the expansion of antigen-specific T cells by making iPS cells and differentiating them back into functional T cells. The next step will be to test whether these T cells can selectively kill tumor cells but not other cells in the body. If they do, these cells might be directly injected to patients for therapy. This could be realized in the not-so-distant future."
This highly anticipated discussion is expected to draw a large audience and provoke a lively dialog. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early.
Registration and information for the 2nd Annual Cancer Immunotherapy Conference can be found at: http://www.cancerimmunotherapyconference.com