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South African researchers are testing "off-the-shelf" immune cells against lymphoma that has returned or resisted treatment, investigating an approach that avoids having to manufacture a separate treatment from each patient's own cells.

The trial uses genetically engineered natural killer (NK) cells grown from a shared laboratory cell line. Researchers are assessing their safety and looking for evidence that they can help patients with certain B-cell lymphomas.

Dr. Jackie Thomson, a clinical hematologist and stem cell transplant specialist at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Center (WDGMC), combines this research with teaching doctors to deliver complex blood cancer care. The Donald Gordon Medical Institute (DGMI) is the center's research and training arm.

Thomson has seen treatment options expand considerably over her career. "We have so many options for these patients. It really doesn't feel like a death sentence anymore," she says.

The study involving her team, QUILT-106, focuses on selected B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Its engineered cells carry a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, designed to recognize CD19, a protein found on certain B cells. Researchers are testing the cells alone and with rituximab, an antibody treatment targeting another protein, CD20.

As a phase 1 study, it focuses on safety and tolerability while looking for early evidence of a response. " Further research and follow-up are needed to establish which patients might benefit and whether responses last.

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