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02.05.2022Citometry, key for the discovery of a new cancer therapy
An article was recently published in the journal Nature Cancer showing the MCLA-158 antibody as the first drug candidate to block metastasis in solid tumors and slow the growth of primary tumors. This study is especially innovative because, in order to choose which of the antibodies was most effective and suitable for the patient, a biobank of organoids from cancer patients was used for the first time.
The article explains the procedures and studies that have led to the discovery of MCLA-158 and the mechanism of action on cancer stem cells. The study was conducted by scientists from an international consortium led by PhD. Eduard Batlle, head of the the Colorectal Cancer Laboratory at IRB Barcelona, ICREA researcher and group leader at CIBER de Càncer (CIBERONC) , together with the Dutch company Merus NV.
In the Cytometry laboratory of the CCiTUB located on the Diagonal Campus, the identification and characterization of cancer stem cells has been performed based on patterns of expression of multiple markers, as well as the separation of these cells with a high level of purity. This stage of separation is key to the generation of organoids, 3D structures that simulate the behavior of "in vitro" tumors and are a key tool in basic cancer research.
The paper can be read at the follwing link:[+].
The new published by the IRB can be read at the following link:[+].