FT500 Natural Killer Cell therapy is on its way

A partnership between Dan Kauffman, MD, PhD, at the Sanford Consortium of Regenerative Medicine, local biotech Fate Pharmaceuticals, and investigators at the University of Minnesota have found a scalable way to produce Natural Killer (NK) cells for clinical use. In February of this year at UCSD’s Moore’s Cancer Center, the group treated patient Derek Ruff with their clinical trial phase I product FT500. This allogenic, or “off the shelf” immunotherapy was recently approved in November of 2018. The trial will test up to 64 patients with advanced solid tumors, in hopes of providing a new way to treat cancer.

This recently approved treatment is a large step forward for both cancer patients and the regenerative medicine community. Immunotherapy’s of this caliber has been long awaited as researchers have searched for a method to use cell transplantation to treat a plethora of diseases. We are ecstatic to see the development of new therapies reaching patients

A further description from UCSD Health can be found below:

https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/uc_san_diego_health_treats_1st_cancer_patient_with_stem_cell_derived_natural_killer_cells