NK must be activated by immune sentinel cells in order to work as effectively as possible. However, these cells disappear after the transplant. While the presence of sentinel cells enhances the work of NK cells, it does pose another risk: that of also activating other immune cells that will attack the body of the young patient, with a risk of serious complications.
ThINKK cells: an innovation with encouraging results
Faced with this challenge, Dr. Michel Duval, Head of the Hematology-Oncology Department at CHU Sainte-Justine, decided to cultivate new cells from cord blood, which is collected after the birth of a child and sent to a dedicated bank at Héma-Québec. These cells are similar to sentinels, but they only activate the NK, the cancer killers. The results are astounding: "There is no more effective way to activate NK cells against leukemia than ours," proudly states Dr. Duval.
https://research.chusj.org/en/Medias/Nouvelles/2023/New-cells-designed-t...
See this video
ThINKK Therapeutic inducers of Natural Killer cell killing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJDPvj_5oSo