London, Jan. 20 -- Researchers have found a reliable way to grow helper T cells from stem cells, solving a major challenge in immune-based cancer therapy. Helper T cells act as the immune system's coordinators, helping other immune cells fight longer and harder.

The team discovered how to precisely control a key signal that determines which type of T cell forms. This advance could lead to ready-made cell therapies that are cheaper, faster, and easier to access.

For the first time, researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown how to consistently produce a crucial type of human immune cell, known as helper T cells, from stem cells in a controlled lab setting.

The research, published on January 7 in Cell Stem Cell, removes...