Single dose potentially eliminates cancer cells
Scientists are making strides in the battle against cancer with a new targeted injection that has successfully eliminated tumors in mice. This latest approach is just one of many recent experiments aimed at finding more effective treatments for various types of cancer.
From engineering microbes to hunt down microtumors to starving malignant tumors to death, researchers are exploring all avenues to combat this devastating disease. The latest study, orchestrated by Dr. Ronald Levy from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, takes a unique approach: an injection of "minute" amounts of two agents designed to stimulate the body's immune response directly into a malignant solid tumor.
The results from the study using mice are promising. According to Dr. Levy, "When we use these two agents together, we see the elimination of tumors all over the body." This method bypasses the need for tumor-specific immune targets and avoids wholesale activation of the immune system or customization of a patient's immune cells.
What's more, the researchers believe that this innovative treatment could make its way to clinical trials faster, since one of the agents involved has already been approved for human therapy, while the other is in clinical trials for lymphoma treatment. The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
A Single Application for Long-term Effects
Dr. Levy, who specializes in immunotherapy to fight lymphoma, notes that this method uses a one-time application of micrograms of two agents to stimulate immune cells only within the tumor itself. This allows the immune cells to learn how to fight against the specific type of cancer, enabling them to migrate and destroy other existing tumors.
While the immune system is normally responsible for detecting and eliminating harmful foreign bodies, cancer cells often find ways to evade this defense mechanism. T cells, a type of white blood cell, would typically target and fight cancer tumors, but cancer cells often trick them. In this new study, the research team delivers the two agents into a tumor site in each affected mouse. The agents used are CpG oligonucleotide and an antibody that binds to the receptor, activating the T cells.
Broad Spectrum Treatment for Multiple Types of Cancer
Importantly, this method could be used to target a number of different kinds of cancer, as the immune cells learn to deal with the specific type of cancer cell they are exposed to. Successful lab results were seen in the mouse models of lymphoma, breast, colon, and skin cancer, as well as in mice genetically engineered to develop breast cancer spontaneously.
While the results were mixed when two different types of cancer tumor (lymphoma and colon cancer) were transplanted in the same animal but only the lymphoma site was injected, the lymphoma tumors did recede, confirming that the T cells only learn to deal with cancer cells in their immediate vicinity before the injection.
Targeted and Specific Treatment Approach
Dr. Levy describes this approach as "very targeted." It attacks specific targets without the need to identify exactly what proteins the T cells are recognizing. The team is now preparing a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of this treatment in people with low-grade lymphoma. If successful, the team hopes to extend this therapy to virtually any type of cancer tumor in humans.
"I don't think there's a limit to the type of tumor we could potentially treat, as long as it has been infiltrated by the immune system," Dr. Levy concludes.
While more research is needed, this innovative treatment offers a promising new approach in the ongoing fight against cancer. With its targeted and specific approach, it has the potential to make a significant impact in the lives of cancer patients worldwide.
- This innovative treatment, currently in development for various types of cancer, includes a one-time application of two agents that stimulate the body's immune response directly into a malignant solid tumor.
- The use of these agents, CpG oligonucleotide and an antibody that binds to the receptor, activates T cells to learn how to fight against specific types of cancer, enabling them to migrate and potentially destroy other existing tumors.
- Preliminary results, tested on mice across multiple types of cancer, show that this method could have a broad spectrum application, targeting tumors associated with lymphoma, breast, colon, and skin cancer.
- If successful, this targeted and specific treatment approach could be extended to virtually any type of cancer tumor in humans, marking a significant step forward in cancer therapies and treatments within the realm of health-and-wellness science.
