Rush is the only site in the United States where NK-92 cells will be available and used for cancer patients in addition to regular drug treatment. In the new laboratory, the cells will be expanded by drawing blood from a patient or donor, separating the cells and then placing them in a special container called a bioreactor which contains a cancer or virus cell. Interleukin-2 is a substance that stimulates the growth of T lymphocytes. The re-educated cells, with the ability to identify and destroy cancerous cells, are then removed, purified and injected into the patient. The cancer cells remain in the flask.
Many cancers have characteristic molecules or tumor antigens on their surface.
After manipulation and expansion in the laboratory, T-cells are reintroduced into the patient and redirected toward the cancerous cells in the body using the markers on the surface of the cancerous molecules to guide them to their target. The circumstances surrounding individuals who undergo an organ transplant illustrate the importance of the immune system in the prevention of cancer. Patients who undergo organ transplantation are required to take immune-suppressant drugs that prevent their bodies from producing antibodies and rejecting the new organ. These drugs work by suppressing T-cells, the cells responsible for attacking infected or cancerous cells and triggering production of antibodies. EBV and certain other viruses can cause certain types of cancer.