Immune Cell Activation Chamber for Tumor-Specific Cancer Response
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing immuno-oncology therapies have limitations in effectively activating immune cells to target and treat cancer, with many patients not responding or having short durations of response, highlighting the need for new therapeutic methods to enhance immune cell activation.
Innovation Solution
A method involving isolating immune cells, exposing them to tumor cells within an immune modulating chamber, which includes a solid support with restrained tumor cells, and activating the immune cells ex vivo to enhance tumor-specific responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing immuno-oncology therapies are used to activate immune cells, then immune response against tumor is improved, but the duration of response is relatively short and many patients do not respond
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a specialized chamber as an intermediary device that facilitates controlled interaction between immune cells and tumor cells. This chamber serves as a mediator that enables direct cell-to-cell contact and activation, which is the mechanism not fully achieved by existing systemic therapies. The chamber acts as a bridge between the immune system and tumor antigens, providing a controlled environment for effective immune activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary activation of immune cells against tumor antigens outside the body (ex vivo) before reintroducing them to the patient. This preliminary action allows immune cells to be pre-activated and expanded with tumor-specific responses before they are administered back to the patient, ensuring a more reliable and durable immune response compared to direct in vivo therapy administration.
2Reliability
If immune cells are directly exposed to tumor cells in vivo, then immune activation occurs, but the activation is insufficient and short-lived
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the immune therapy process into distinct stages: (1) collection of immune cells from the patient, (2) exposure to tumor antigens in a controlled chamber, (3) activation and expansion phase, and (4) reintroduction to the patient. This segmentation allows each step to be optimized and controlled separately, ensuring durable immune activation while managing the overall therapy complexity through modular processing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The specialized chamber serves as an intermediary device that facilitates controlled interaction between immune cells and tumor cells. This chamber serves as a mediator that enables direct cell-to-cell contact and activation, which is the mechanism not fully achieved by existing systemic therapies. The chamber acts as a bridge between the immune system and tumor antigens, providing a controlled environment for effective immune activation.
3Reliability
If systemic immunotherapy is administered, then immune response is activated, but adverse effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the immune cell activation process from the systemic circulation and performs it locally in a controlled chamber. By taking out the activation step from the body and performing it ex vivo, the therapy achieves effective immune activation while avoiding the systemic adverse effects associated with traditional immunotherapies. Only the activated and expanded immune cells are reintroduced, not the activating agents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specialized microenvironment within the chamber that is optimized for immune cell activation. This local environment provides specific conditions (cell density, antigen exposure, cytokine gradients) that are tailored for immune activation without affecting the entire body, thereby achieving therapeutic efficacy with minimized systemic adverse effects.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are methods for activating an immune cell in a subject. In some embodiments, the methods comprise passing an immune cell from a subject through an immune modulating chamber comprising a tumor cell, thereby activating the immune cell, and returning the activated immune cell to the subject. In some embodiments, the methods further comprise isolating an immune cell-containing portion of a sample and passing the immune cell-containing portion through the immune modulating chamber. Methods of treating cancer and methods of inducing an immune response against a tumor are also provided herein.