How do you mass produce the human body’s natural killer (NK) cells on a level that makes the more widely available for clinical use? Masonic Cancer Center researchers think they’ve got the answer.

University of Minnesota researchers have developed a streamlined process for mass-producing human NK cells that could have far-reaching effects for the future of cancer immunotherapies.

Current mass-production processes for human NK cells are poorly defined, time-consuming and require supplemental cell parts to develop mature and functional NK cells.

NK cells are one of the major types of lymphocytes — white blood cells dictating immune responses to infectious or foreign substances and antigens — that function as an innate part of the immune system. NK cells are particularly effective at attacking malignant tumors, making them an important player in the effort to fight cancer naturally.

The new method proposed in the study eliminates many of the steps used in current processes, making the production of the cells easier on a large scale.