Scientists have found a way to transform the body’s specialized immune cells, called B cells, into tiny machines that can produce special antibodies to destroy cancer cells or HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, describes how they can edit the genes of B cells to make them more robust to diseases. This new method could help treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis.

“In some diseases, the natural antibodies made by B cells are not strong enough,” said Paula Cannon, a professor at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC).

“For example, HIV constantly mutates, making it harder for antibodies to keep up. We thought that if we could enable B cells to make a very broad range of antibodies, HIV would not be able to mutate around it,” the scientist said.

This technology can be adjusted to make different types of antibodies. “We can reprogram B cells to handle almost any antibody-related task,” said Jeffrey Rodgers, a researcher in Cannon’s lab. “We believe we can completely customize the antibodies.”

The idea comes from CAR-T cell therapy, which has transformed the way blood cancers are treated. CAR-T cells are modified T cells, sister cells of B cells, that target specific cancer cells.

Millions of these cells are then put back into the patient’s body to fight the disease.

B cells work differently, making them better suited for chronic conditions. They act as both security guards and antibody factories, living in the bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen until needed.

To create these B cell fighters, CRISPR gene editing was used to insert instructions for custom antibodies into the B cell’s DNA. These reprogrammed B cells can then produce custom antibodies, just as natural cells respond to vaccination.

The researchers tested the antibodies using tonsil tissue to mimic the immune system. They are now working with the USC Stevens Center for Innovation to bring this technology to market.

“This could change the way we approach certain diseases,” said Erin Overstreet, executive director of the USC Stevens Center. “We’re excited to help bring this to biotech companies.”