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The Cord Blood And Leukaemia

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The cells of the immune system derived from umbilical cord blood could one day be used to improve the treatment of leukemia.


 


Researchers at the University of Texas have used natural killer cells (NK) from umbilical cord blood to treat mice with an aggressive form of human leukemia. After reproduction and injection, the NK reduced cancer cells from 60 to 85% in the blood of mice. These results have been achieved for the moment only in animals and should of course be replicated in humans.


NK Cells are cells of the innate immunity system of mammals. They are able to analyze foreign cells independently of the antigen and without prior activation. The NK cells spontaneously destroy all cells. However, many regulatory mechanisms prevent NK from attacking healthy cells. For that reason, many researchers are working on this subject to master the growth and activity of NK cells to make an effective killer.


 


The researchers' aim is to be able to multiply cells taken in large numbers. They showed that they were able to generate over 150 million NK cells from a cord blood sample. These cells multiplied in the laboratory for a period of three weeks have also been protected with chemicals that have helped to keep them active and keep their anti-cancer properties.



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