University of Helsinki researchers win 2024 Medix Prize for breakthrough in blood cancer treatment

A groundbreaking discovery by researchers at the University of Helsinki has earned the prestigious 2024 Medix Prize for their work on harnessing natural killer (NK) cells to combat blood cancers. The team, led by Professor Satu Mustjoki, uncovered th

By: helsinkitimes.fi

Oct 07 2024
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University of Helsinki researc

A groundbreaking discovery by researchers at the University of Helsinki has earned the prestigious 2024 Medix Prize for their work on harnessing natural killer (NK) cells to combat blood cancers. The team, led by Professor Satu Mustjoki, uncovered the previously unknown mechanisms that allow some cancer cells to evade NK cells, a discovery that could pave the way for more effective and personalized cancer treatments.

The research, published in the internationally renowned journal Immunity, has been hailed for its potential to revolutionize cancer immunotherapy. The Medix Prize, awarded by the University of Helsinki and donated by the Minerva Foundation, comes with a €20,000 prize and is recognized as one of the top honors in Finnish biomedical research.

Natural Killer Cells: A New Frontier in Cancer Treatment

NK cells are a critical part of the body’s immune system, circulating through the body to detect and destroy cancerous cells. However, some cancer cells, particularly in blood cancers, have developed ways to evade these immune cells. Until now, the exact mechanisms of this evasion were unknown.

Using advanced genomic tools, including genome-scale functional screens and single-cell sequencing, the research team was able to delete genes in blood cancer cells one by one to observe how this impacted NK cell activity. The findings revealed new pathways by which cancer cells either avoid or activate NK cells, shedding light on the varying sensitivity of different blood cancer types to these immune cells.

"This discovery opens the door to developing better and more personalized therapies for blood cancer patients," explained Professor Mustjoki, who heads the international research group from the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Medicine and Helsinki University Hospital’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Postdoctoral researchers Olli Dufva and Sara Gandolfi were among the primary authors of the study.

The discovery is especially significant given the limitations of current immunotherapies like CAR T-cell therapy, which have transformed the treatment of some blood cancers but can cause severe side effects and are not effective in all patients. By focusing on NK cells, which do not produce the same adverse effects, researchers hope to develop new therapies that are both safer and more effective.

Clinical trials using NK cells to treat cancer are already underway, but until now, the reasons behind their varying success have been unclear. "Our research reveals how certain cancer cells manage to evade NK cell activity and how this evasion might be overcome," Mustjoki added.

The Medix Prize is awarded annually for outstanding Finnish scientific research in the fields of biomedicine or clinical medicine. The selection is made by a committee of representatives from the universities of Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Eastern Finland, and Oulu.

As Finland’s "championship for biomedicine," the Medix Prize highlights the world-class research being conducted in the country, and this year’s award marks the 37th time it has been presented.

The research team’s discovery is expected to contribute to the development of more targeted and individualized therapies for blood cancer, offering new hope to patients around the world.