Single dose potentially annihilates cancer cells
Stanford University researchers have devised a targeted injection that successfully eliminated tumors in mice, offering a potential new approach in the fight against various types of cancer.
The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, focuses on the use of two agents that stimulate the body's immune response when directly injected into a malignant solid tumor. The method, which bypasses the need for tumor-specific immune targets or wholesale immune system activation, has shown promising results in preclinical trials.
Dr. Ronald Levy, senior study author and an expert in immunotherapy for lymphoma treatment, explains that the approach involves a one-time application of minute amounts of the two agents to stimulate immune cells within the tumor. This activation process enables the immune cells to learn how to fight against that specific type of cancer, enabling them to migrate and destroy other existing tumors.
Critically, one of the agents has already been approved for use in human therapy, while the other is under clinical trial for lymphoma treatment. Given this accelerated trajectory, clinical trials for this method could be initiated soon for patients with low-grade lymphoma.
Moreover, the team notes that this method could be applicable to numerous types of cancer as the immune cells learn to deal with the specific type of cancer cell they have been exposed to. While the immune system's role is to detect and eliminate harmful foreign bodies, cancer cells often learn to evade the immune response.
The researchers' findings demonstrate successful elimination of tumors in various animal models, including lymphoma, breast, colon, and skin cancer, as well as in mice genetically predisposed to develop breast cancer spontaneously. However, mixed results were observed when transplanting two different types of cancer tumors in the same animal and only injecting the experimental formula into a lymphoma site, suggesting the T cells only learn to combat cancer cells in their immediate vicinity before the injection.
Though this technique represents a highly targeted approach, scientists are currently preparing a clinical trial to further test its effectiveness and potential applications in human cancer treatment.
Innovative cancer treatments often involve combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors with or without direct tumor delivery, with recent research focusing on dual immune checkpoint inhibition and intratumoral injection of immune stimulators or checkpoint inhibitors. These approaches have shown success in turning non-immunogenic tumors into ones that can elicit immune responses, leading to tumor regression and systemic immune memory. The core concept, however, is the stimulation of the immune system at the tumor site to enhance its ability to target and eradicate cancer cells.
These advanced strategies, which may involve combinations of immune agents delivered directly into tumors, have shown promising results in mice and initial success in human clinical trials. The specific agents and protocols may vary, but the common goal of stimulating the immune response at the tumor site is a focal point in leading immunotherapy research centers.
- This new approach in cancer treatment, devised at Stanford University, entails the use of two agents that stimulate the immune system when injected directly into a malignant solid tumor, offering a potential new strategy for health-and-wellness in the fight against various medical-conditions like cancer.
- The study published in Science Translational Medicine highlights the advantage of this method, as it bypasses the need for tumor-specific immune targets or wholesale immune system activation, thereby making it applicable to other types of cancer, such as lymphomas, breast, colon, and skin cancer.
- The research underscores the potential of these therapies-and-treatments, as one agent has already been approved for use in human therapy, while the other is under clinical trial for lymphoma treatment, paving the way for clinical trials in patients with low-grade lymphoma.
- The ongoing study aims to further test the effectiveness and potential applications of this immunotherapy in human cancer treatment, moving science one step closer to revolutionizing the fight against cancer and improving health-and-wellness worldwide.
