A single administrated dose potentially eradicates cancer cells.
Freakin' Innovative Cancer Treatment Wipes Out Tumors in Mice
Bring out the big guns! Scientists are ready to rock your world with a groundbreaking new treatment for the dreaded 'C'. And no, we're not talking about the band here.
Recent years have been chock-full of research on cancer treatments, offering a sliver of hope for cancer warriors everywhere. The latest addition to the arsenal? A targeted injection that eliminates tumors in mice. Boom!
From state-of-the-art nanotech chasing down microtumors, to genetic engineering of microbes to take down cancer cells, and even starving tumors to death, the scientists' toolkit just got a whole lot bigger.
The newest entry in this battle royale comes from Stanford University School of Medicine in California. They've got their sights set on a potential lifesaver: injecting tiny amounts of two agents straight into a malignant solid tumor to kickstart the body's immune response. And guess what? So far, the study using mice is a game-changer.
"When we use these two agents together, we see the elimination of tumors all over the body," explains senior study author, Dr. Ronald Levy, who specializes in immunotherapy for lymphoma.
But here's the kicker: this method bypasses the need for custom-fitting the immune response to specific cancer types or wholesale activation of the immune system. Instead, it lets the body learn how to fight against the specific type of cancer cell it encounters, destroying existing tumors all over the body.
The researchers even think this method could zip through the clinical trial process since one of the agents is already approved for use in human therapy, while the other is already in clinical trials for lymphoma treatment.
So, what's the deal with these magical agents? Well, they're CpG oligonucleotide and an antibody that binds to a receptor on the surface of T cells called OX40. Together, they activate T cells, which then migrate from the treated tumor and attack other cancer cells throughout the body.
Importantly, this method could be used against a variety of cancer types since the immune cells learn to fight against the specific type of cancer cell they've been exposed to. In lab tests, the treatment was effective against lymphoma, breast, colon, and skin cancer, as well as tumors that developed spontaneously.
However, when the scientists tried injecting the formula into two types of tumor in the same animal, the results were mixed. The lymphoma tumor shrank, while the colon cancer tumor didn't react. Dr. Levy calls this a "very targeted approach," attacking only the specific cancer cells that share the same protein targets.
The team is now prepping for clinical trials with low-grade lymphoma patients to test the treatment's effectiveness. Dr. Levy is optimistic that success in humans could lead to this therapy being extended to fight a variety of cancer types.
"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.
Catch you on the flip side, cancer—this new treatment has you in its sights!
- This groundbreaking cancer treatment, currently being tested, involves the use of two agents in malignant solid tumors to stimulate the body's immune response, targeting a variety of cancer types, including lymphoma, breast, colon, and skin cancer.
- One of the agents used in this treatment is already approved for human therapy, while the other is in clinical trials for lymphoma treatment, potentially speeding up the clinical trial process.
- The effectiveness of this treatment relies on the activation of T cells, which migrate from the treated tumor and attack other cancer cells throughout the body, binding to a receptor on the surface of T cells called OX40.
- The immune cells involved in this treatment learn to fight against the specific type of cancer cell they've been exposed to, demonstrating effectiveness in lab tests against various types of cancer.
- This treatment also showcases a targeted approach, with mixed results seen when injecting into two different types of tumor in the same animal.
- Researchers are now planning clinical trials for low-grade lymphoma patients to assess the treatment's effectiveness, with optimism that success in humans could lead to its application in the fight against a broad range of other cancers.
