3D打印淋巴结或可扩大癌症治疗的可及性

CAR T-cell therapy, when someone’s immune cells are genetically engineered to kill cancer cells, is highly effective for treating certain types of cancer, but it is too expensive to be widely available worldwide. But utilising 3D printing could mean that these engineered cells are produced for less money and – crucially – faster. This is usually done by mixing the cells with tiny beads that activate their proliferation. They are also mixed with a harmless virus that delivers them the genetic code for a protein that targets molecules on the surface of cancer cells, called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Typically, 30 to 70 per cent of the T-cells are successfully reprogrammed, with a higher proportion tied to better outcomes. …