LAK cell

LAK cells were generated as described.

LAK cells are specific to tumor cells and do not display activity against normal cells.

Then these cells, known as LAK cells, for lymphokine activated killer cells, are infused back into the patient to fight the cancer.

In cell biology, a lymphokine-activated killer cell (also known as a LAK cell) is a white blood cell that has been stimulated to kill tumor cells.

LAK cells respond to these lymphokines, particularly IL-2, by lysing tumor cells that were already known to be resistant to NK cell activity.

LAK cells, along with the administration of IL-2 have been experimentally used to treat cancer in mice and humans, but there is very high toxicity with this treatment.

Therefore we generated LAK cells by the method of Anita and Hersh [ 13 ] and carried out cytotoxicity experiments with the stimulated cells.

Fractionated extract of Astragalus membranaceus, a Chinese medicinal herb, potentiates LAK cell cytotoxicity generated by a low dose of recombinant interleukin-2.

The mechanism of LAK cells is distinctive from that of natural killer cells because they can lyse cells that NK cells cannot.

Mesothelioma cells proved susceptible to in vitro lysis by LAK cells following activation by interleukin-2 (IL-2), but patients undergoing this particular therapy experienced major side effects.

LAK cells (Lymphokine-activated killer) are a laboratory/clinical subset of NK Cells promoted by IL-2 to attack tumor cells.

LAK cells are also capable of acting against cells that do not display the major histocompatibility complex, as has been shown by the ability to cause lysis in non-immunogenic, allogeneic and syngeneic tumors.

Dr. Paul Oestreicher, who is assistant director of public policy and communication for the company, said that patients did as well if receiving an infusion of interleukin-2 as they did if their white blood cells were turned into the killer LAK cells.