New breakthrough grows "gentle" immune cells to kill cancer without nasty side effects
KEY INFORMATION:
WHO: Assistant Professor Derfogail Delcassian and a team from UC Berkeley and Imperial College London.
WHAT: Discovery of how mechanical environments, specifically stiffness, influence the cancer-killing precision of T cells.
WHERE: UC Berkeley’s Department of Bioengineering and Bakar Bio Labs.
WHEN: 10 March 2026.
WHY: To create safer CAR-T cell therapies that target cancer without attacking healthy cells or causing hyperinflammation.
New scientific methods grow immune cells with more targeted cancer-fighting abilities to treat serious diseases safely.
Squishy secrets of the lymph node
Scientists at UC Berkeley have found that the "stiffness" of lymph nodes is the key. It acts like a trainer in a boxing gym.
They used special hydrogels to mimic the surface of a natural lymph node. Some were hard like a pavement, and others were soft like a sponge.
Stiff vs soft activation
The team found that cells grown on stiff materials were like angry bouncers. They were very aggressive and effective at killing cancer.
However, cells activated on softer materials were much more precise. They were like snipers who hit only the bad guys and left the healthy cells alone.
Ending the "friendly fire" in therapy
Currently, most cancer-fighting T cells are grown using a stiff approach. While they are great at attacking tumours, they can be too aggressive.
"These immune cells can sometimes be too aggressive and attack off-target cells," explained lead author Derfogail Delcassian. This can cause hyperinflammation and other nasty side effects for patients.
A new era for autoimmune treatment
By using a "soft activation" approach, doctors can now grow T cells that are much more controlled. This is a game-changer for people with autoimmune diseases.
If you used super-aggressive cells for those conditions, you could actually make the patient worse. This new technology means therapies can be tailored for a much wider range of illnesses.
The breakthrough is now being moved into a commercial lab to turn it into real-world medicine. It means the future of cancer treatment could be just as precise as it is powerful.
Related Links:
MORE: Researchers trial targeted proton beams to improve mesothelioma survival — https://trendwiremedia.com/2026/03/12/researchers-trial-targeted-proton-beams-to-improve-mesothelioma-survival/
MORE: Common protein "glitch" makes victims eight times more likely to lose their memory — https://trendwiremedia.com/2026/03/11/common-protein-glitch-makes-victims-eight-times-more-likely-to-lose-their-memory/
OFFICIAL SOURCE VERIFICATION: This report is based on official data from University Newsroom. Document: Researchers grow immune cells with more targeted cancer-fighting abilities Source Link: https://engineering.berkeley.edu/news/2026/03/researchers-grow-immune-cells-with-more-targeted-cancer-fighting-abilities/
Author
Subscribe for $2 every four weeks for the first six months
Subscribe for $20 every four weeks for the first six months
