Various forms of blood cancer exist – all of which are grouped together under the term leukemia. One common form of leukemia is acute myeloid leukemia (AML), characterized by a degradation of early blood cell precursors, i.e. stem cells and the precursor cells that develop from them. Despite treatment with intensive chemotherapy, only between 20-50 percent of patients survive the first five years after diagnosis and treatment. Further compounding the situation is the fact that these intensive therapies have a particularly damaging effect on the blood-forming stem cells, and are therefore associated with very severe side effects. That is why there is an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches.
One approach is immunotherapies, such as those researched by Evelyn Ullrich and her team at Universitaetsmedizin Frankfurt’s Clinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
“Immunotherapies use the immune system’s natural power against malignant leukemia cells,” explains the Professor of Cellular Immunology. As part of the process, the cancer cells are recognized by the immune system’s killer cells, such as T cells. A T cell, for instance, has a lock-shaped structure on its surface into which a corresponding structure on the cancer cell’s surface fits like a key. In technical terms, the lock of the T cell is referred to as an “antigen receptor”, while the key is called an “antigen”. If the “key” is in the “lock”, i.e. if the antigen and receptor bind, the T cell kills the cancer cell. “Today, we are able to tailor the antigen receptor in