UPDATE - Issue 31 - Autumn 2007
Sponsored research bears fruit
We sponsored a project at the University of Wales under the clinical lead of Professor Howard Kynaston. His team investigated the interaction between the immune system and prostate cancer cells post treatment. They identified a population of immune cells, termed cytotoxic CD8 cells that recognise cancer cells and inhibit their cell growth. Yet to be determined are the mechanisms that these cells use and possible ways that they can be enhanced.
Importantly, the group have developed a novel laboratory assay for the detection of these CD8 cells in the peripheral blood and can thus determine whether their presence correlates with long-term protection against disease relapse. The group have published their findings demonstrating that the technique can detect one cancer cell in ten million from a 5ml blood sample. They have applied this approach to monitor the rate of cancer cell clearance following radical prostatectomy and shown significant variation between numbers of cells detected immediately after surgery. Currently, the group are evaluating the number of cells and their impact on long term outcome. It is hoped that by combining the investigation of CD8 cells and the highly sensitive cancer cell screen that those patients who would benefit from additional therapy can be identified at an earlier stage.