Iran, Netherlands to cure cancer using Dendritic cells

Tehran, Nov 6, IRNA - The Cell Therapy Group of Breast Cancer Research Center of Iran and the department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology of VU University Medical Center of the Netherlands are working in a joint project to test a new way to treat cancer cells. According to Manager of Breast Cancer Research Center Ramin Sarami Foroushani, the immune system plays a major role in fighting tumors and cancer cells but they are not capable of playing their role properly due to various reasons and this is where the dendritic cells can help them to act properly. Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells (also known as accessory cells) of the mammalian immune system. Their main function is to process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system. They act as messengers between the innate and the adaptive immune systems. He added that signing the MoU for bilateral cooperation between Iran's Cell Therapy Group of Breast Cancer Research Center and the department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology of VU University Medical Center of the Netherlands aims at carrying out practical projects which are focused on cell therapy of cancer with the help of dendritic cells. He noted that the project would be carried out with the help of the prominent professor of Molecular and Cellular Immunology Teunis Geijtenbeek from the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Medicine (AMC-UvA) who is also one of the pioneers in dendritic cells studies. 1378/IRNA