Natural killer T cell defects in multiple myeloma and the impact of lenalidomide therapy

AC Chan; P Neeson; E Leeansyah; K Tainton; H Quach; HM Prince; SJ Harrison; DI Godfrey; D Ritchie; SP Berzins

Journal article

Natural killer T cell defects in multiple myeloma and the impact of lenalidomide therapy

AC Chan, P Neeson, E Leeansyah, K Tainton, H Quach, HM Prince, SJ Harrison, DI Godfrey, D Ritchie, SP Berzins

CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY | WILEY | Published : 2014

DOI: 10.1111/cei.12196

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Abstract

The causes of multiple myeloma (MM) remain obscure and there are few known risk factors; however, natural killer T (NKT) cell abnormalities have been reported in patients with MM, and therapeutic targeting of NKT cells is promoted as a potential treatment. We characterized NKT cell defects in treated and untreated patients with MM and determined the impact of lenalidomide therapy on the NKT cell pool. Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory drug with co-stimulatory effects on NKT cells in vitro and is an approved treatment for MM, although its mode of action in that context is not well defined. We find that patients with relapsed/progressive MM had a marked deficiency in NKT cell numbers. In con..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Dale Godfrey Author Microbiology and Immunology

Stuart Berzins Author Microbiology and Immunology

Paul Neeson Author The Sir Peter Maccallum Department of Oncology

David Ritchie Author Medicine - Royal Melbourne Hospital

Henry Prince Author Medicine - St Vincent's Hospital

Related Projects (6)

2007 PROGRAM GRANT - (IMMUNE REGULATION, EFFECTOR FUNCTION AND HUMAN IMMUNOTHERAPY)

The immune system plays an important role in protecting the host from viral and bacterial infections, and inhibits cancer onset and progress..

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

Professor Godfrey is an immunologist with a long standing history as a pioneer in the study of a specialised type of white blood cell, known..

Immune regulation, effector function and therapy

The immune system plays an important role in protecting the host from viral and bacterial infections, and inhibits cancer onset and progress..

2007 PROGRAM GRANT - (IMMUNE REGULATION, EFFECTOR FUNCTION AND HUMAN IMMUNOTHERAPY)

The immune system plays an important role in protecting the host from viral and bacterial infections, and inhibits cancer onset and progress..

The development of immune NKT cells in humans.

NKT cells are a type of white blood cell that help to control the function of the immune system. Many studies have reported an association b..

Immune regulation, effector function and therapy

The immune system plays an important role in protecting the host from viral and bacterial infections, and inhibits cancer onset and progress..

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Awarded by NHMRC Program

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the participation of patients and blood donors in the study, and the contributions of Rhonda Holdsworth (Australian Red Cross Blood Bank) and Kon Kyparissoudis (research assistant). The authors acknowledge the generous funding of this study by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Project grant (no. 454363), the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute (FECRI) and the Victorian Cancer Agency. The authors also acknowledge the following funding support for this research: S. P. B. is a recipient of an NHMRC Career Development Award and current Research Fellowships from University of Ballarat (Robert H. T. Smith Fellowship) and FECRI (Dorevitch Research Fellowship); D. I. G. is supported by an NHMRC Program grant (no. 251608, renewed as no. 454569) and an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship.