Abstract
Abstract Significant efforts have been invested into harnessing the therapeutic potential of the immune system for the treatment of cancer. Natural killer T (NKT) cells play a critical role in anti-tumor immunity. However, NKT cells are approximately 50% lower in cancer patients compared to healthy donors of the same age and gender. Thus, prior to initiating immunotherapy, a specific and highly sensitive assessment of immune cell function should occur; yet, no such assay is currently available. Our lab has developed a novel cell-based molecular diagnostic for quantitation of a patient’s NKT cell activity by monitoring IFN-γ induction utilizing qPCR post activation with CD1d-based artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs). In this study we sought to assess NKT cell function in healthy donors and cancer patients in order to investigate the potential of NKT cell-based immunotherapeutic strategies. We assessed NKT cell function in 22 healthy donors (HD), 30 breast cancer patients (BCP), and 50 lymphoma patients (LP). The aAPC-qPCR method was more sensitive than flow cytometry and ELISA. We detected NKT cell function in 81% HD, 66% BCP, and 44% LP. In contrast, total T cell function was observed in 91% HD, 90% BCP, and 74% LP. These data suggest that NKT cell-based immunotherapeutic strategies may be more effective in specific cancer types. Collectively, these data demonstrate the need for assessing baseline immune function prior to the initiation of immunotherapy.
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