Washington State University has developed a new technology for the development of cells using a bioreactor for cancer therapy. This technique develops cancer-detecting white blood cells (WBC) which supports immunotherapy.
Researchers at Washington State University have created a bioreactor the size of a minifridge that can produce T cells at 95% of their maximal development rate, which is around 30% quicker than what is possible with existing technology. They developed it using T cells from cattle. They expect it will function similarly on human cells.
Over 1,400 distinct T cell-based medicines were under development in 2022; among them, seven were FDA-approved for use in treating various cancers. However, the expense and duration required to cultivate T cells restrict the application of the therapy, known as chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T). Up to 250 million cells are needed for each infusion treatment given to a cancer patient.
The manufacturing demand for this growing number of therapies is not being met, so there is a gap that needs to be filled in terms of biomanufacturing solutions. At the end of the day, they need to be upscaled, so they can be used by more people.
Kitana Kaiphanliam. first author, Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Centrifugal force is employed in the bioreactor to influence the developing cells, which are suspended in a thick cloud and continually submerged in nutrient-rich liquid. Four decades of study have gone into creating a centrifugal bioreactor prototype that can quickly densify and grow cells. This was led by Chemical Engineering Professor Bernie Van Wie, Kaiphanliam’s advisor and a co-author of the paper. The most recent prototype is also self-contained within a sterile cabinet.
It acts like a biosafety cabinet. It can be used in circumstances where clean manufacturing facilities are not available or easily accessible, so it can democratize these cell-based therapies. I recognized the potential that this bioreactor could have on cell-based therapies and manufacturing for these therapies, and I didn’t want to see it stuck in an academic laboratory. I really hope having novel technologies to help with manufacturing reduces that financial barrier for these life-saving therapies.
said Kaiphanliam
The bioreactor is being enhanced by the researchers. In the future, they aim to add more chambers and anticipate being able to generate enough cells in three days for three therapeutic doses. Additionally, they have started corresponding with cancer doctors at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center regarding beta testing and want to begin testing using human T cells.
The work was predominately funded by a National Science Foundation Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award. Additional support came from the WSU Office of Commercialization’s Gap Fund, the Palouse Club Cougar Cage pitch competition and the Washington Research Foundation. To protect the associated intellectual property and further enhance the commercial value of this technology, the Office of Commercialization has filed a U.S. patent application that is pending.
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Published journal reference: Kaiphanliam, K. M., Fraser-Hevlin, B., Barrow, E. S., Davis, W. C., & Van Wie, B. J. Development of a centrifugal bioreactor for rapid expansion of CD8 cytotoxic T cells for use in cancer immunotherapy. Biotechnology Progress, e3388. https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.3388
Source: Washington State University press release
Report: Achuth B S
Last updated:
Graduated from the University of Kerala with B.Sc. Botany and Biotechnology. M.Sc. Biotechnology from the University of Kerala. Attended certificate course in Artificial Intelligence for Everyone from Deeplearning.AI, Influenza Prevention and Control from World Health Organization. Attended workshops related to Bioinformatics at the University of Kerala. 3 years of experience in website management. Experience in WordPress, Blogger, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console.
