Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have developed a simpler and gentler method to recover lab-grown immune cells, a step that could improve the effectiveness of advanced cancer immunotherapies such as CAR T-cell treatment.
Immunotherapy works by strengthening the body’s own immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. In CAR T-cell therapy, T-cells are extracted from a patient’s blood, genetically modified in the laboratory to better recognise cancer cells, multiplied in large numbers and then infused back into the patient.
A critical requirement for this process is the availability of large quantities of healthy, functional T-cells that can survive laboratory handling and remain active after being reintroduced into the body.
In a study led by Prof. Prakriti Tayalia from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Bombay, researchers demonstrated a more efficient way to retrieve T-cells grown in three-dimensional laboratory environments.
The work was carried out in collaboration with Prof. Neil Cameron of Monash University and has been published in the journal Biomaterials Science.
Traditionally, T-cells are cultured on flat plastic surfaces, which are easy to handle but do not accurately reflect the complex three-dimensional environments cells encounter inside the human body. To better mimic natural conditions, researchers have increasingly turned to three-dimensional scaffolds made of fine fibres that allow cells to grow, move and interact more realistically. Previous studies have shown that T-cells grown in such environments tend to be more active and multiply faster.
However, growing cells within dense fibre networks presents a challenge: retrieving them without damaging their structure or function. In this study, the IIT Bombay team used electrospun scaffolds made of polycaprolactone, a biodegradable polymer, to grow Jurkat T-cells, a commonly used human T-cell line. Microscopic observations showed that the cells migrated deep into the scaffold and became firmly lodged between fibres, making simple mechanical removal ineffective.
The researchers compared three cell-recovery methods: manual flushing with growth medium, treatment with TrypLE (a trypsin-based enzyme commonly used to detach cells), and treatment with accutase, a milder enzyme formulation. While all three approaches retrieved similar numbers of cells, accutase resulted in significantly higher cell survival and preserved the cells’ ability to grow and function normally after recovery.
Cells recovered using harsher enzymatic methods showed increased cell death and impaired behaviour, which could limit their usefulness in therapy. In contrast, accutase-treated cells remained viable, continued to multiply and retained key characteristics essential for immune function.
The findings suggest that gentler recovery methods can make three-dimensional scaffolds more practical for large-scale preparation of immune cells for cancer treatment. The researchers noted that optimising both cell growth and retrieval is essential if advanced immunotherapies are to be made more reliable and widely accessible.
Building on the results, the team has also observed that T-cells grown on fibre-based scaffolds may be more effective at killing cancer cells. Future work will focus on testing the approach in animal models and exploring whether T-cell-loaded scaffolds could eventually be used directly within the body to enhance therapeutic outcomes.
Also Read