Scientists have made a "game-changing" invention in the fighting against cancer that could lead to personalized therapies replacing toxic treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
In a "comprehensive" finding, a team from University College London has identified biological "flags" carried by all cancer cells, no matter how much they mutate, that can be targeted for the immune system to attack. A bespoke vaccine can then be made for each patient to get their own body to raid the disease.
At present, cancer often evades the effects of drugs because it evolves swiftly, craftily changing its make-up. However, the scientists have invented that "even when it has mutated, cancer still bears signature molecules which never alter".
The auspicious news is that these molecules – the "flag" cells - are antigens, a type of toxin that can be spotted and targeted by the immune system. Treatment will include "fishing out" those immune cells and multiplying them in the lab. The molecules will then be engineered to target the cancer's specific antigen and returned to the patient's system.
Researcher Dr Sergio Quezada told that the discovery was "a game-changer for cancer".
He said: "What we hope for is stronger, more powerful responses with much lower toxicity – or no toxicity, hopefully. The logic of the treatment is that the response should be much more specific than anything tried so far."
However, the BBC reports that experts have warned the idea is good but could be more intricate in reality and this personalized method would also be exorbitant.
The method will need to undergo comprehensive clinical trials before it can lead to any sort of treatment. Researchers hope to test it in patients within two years.
In a "comprehensive" finding, a team from University College London has identified biological "flags" carried by all cancer cells, no matter how much they mutate, that can be targeted for the immune system to attack. A bespoke vaccine can then be made for each patient to get their own body to raid the disease.
At present, cancer often evades the effects of drugs because it evolves swiftly, craftily changing its make-up. However, the scientists have invented that "even when it has mutated, cancer still bears signature molecules which never alter".
The auspicious news is that these molecules – the "flag" cells - are antigens, a type of toxin that can be spotted and targeted by the immune system. Treatment will include "fishing out" those immune cells and multiplying them in the lab. The molecules will then be engineered to target the cancer's specific antigen and returned to the patient's system.
Researcher Dr Sergio Quezada told that the discovery was "a game-changer for cancer".
He said: "What we hope for is stronger, more powerful responses with much lower toxicity – or no toxicity, hopefully. The logic of the treatment is that the response should be much more specific than anything tried so far."
However, the BBC reports that experts have warned the idea is good but could be more intricate in reality and this personalized method would also be exorbitant.
The method will need to undergo comprehensive clinical trials before it can lead to any sort of treatment. Researchers hope to test it in patients within two years.
Courtesy: theweek.co.uk
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