Single dose potentially eliminates cancer cells
Cancer researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a targeted injection therapy that has shown promising results in eliminating tumors in mice. The new treatment uses tiny amounts of two agents to stimulate the body's immune response directly within a malignant solid tumor.
Advancements in cancer research have been steadily improving, providing hope for more effective treatments. One of the newest approaches involves utilizing nanotechnology, genetic engineering of microbes, and starvation methods to attack cancer cells. The latest study focuses on a different strategy: a one-time application of the two agents directly into a tumor site.
According to senior study author Dr. Ronald Levy, the combination of the two agents causes the elimination of tumors throughout the body. This technique bypasses the need to identify tumor-specific immune targets and doesn't require wholesale activation of the immune system or customization of a patient's immune cells.
The researchers believe that clinical trials for this method could progress quickly, as one of the agents is already approved for human therapy, and the other is under clinical trial for lymphoma treatment. The study was published yesterday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Dr. Levy specializes in the use of immunotherapy to fight lymphoma. He notes that while other immunotherapy methods may have problematic side effects, time-consuming procedures, or prohibitive costs, this new method is potentially beneficial in more ways than just its effectiveness as a treatment.
"Our approach uses a one-time application of very small amounts of two agents to stimulate the immune cells only within the tumor itself," Dr. Levy explains. This method allows immune cells to learn how to fight against that specific type of cancer, enabling them to migrate and destroy all other existing tumors.
In the new study, the researchers first applied this method to the mouse model of lymphoma, achieving cancer-free results in 87 out of 90 mice. Similarly impressive results were observed in the mouse models of breast, colon, and skin cancer, as well as in mice genetically engineered to develop breast cancer spontaneously.
However, when two different types of cancer tumors—lymphoma and colon cancer—were transplanted in the same animal but only injected with the experimental formula into a lymphoma site, the results were mixed. All of the lymphoma tumors receded, but the same was not true for the colon cancer tumor, confirming that the T cells only learn to deal with the cancer cells in their immediate vicinity before the injection.
As Dr. Levy explains, "This is a very targeted approach. Only the tumor that shares the protein targets displayed by the treated site is affected. We're attacking specific targets without having to identify exactly what proteins the T cells are recognizing."
The team is currently preparing a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of this treatment in people with low-grade lymphoma. If the trial is successful, they hope 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.
Simultaneously, recent advancements in cancer treatment have been made possible by targeted injection therapies, particularly those leveraging nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems and individualized mRNA vaccines. These approaches focus on maximizing treatment effectiveness while minimizing harm to healthy tissues. Further research is being conducted to optimize these strategies for different tumor types and increase their accessibility for various cancer patients.
- This new treatment, being developed by cancer researchers, uses nanotechnology and a one-time application of two agents to stimulate the body's immune response within a malignant solid tumor, a strategy different from other approaches in cancer research.
- The study focusing on this method has shown promising results in eliminating tumors in mice, not only in lymphoma but also in breast, colon, and skin cancer, indicating a potential for treating various medical conditions.
- Once clinical trials progress, as they could quickly due to one of the agents being approved for human therapy, this treatment could provide an effective health-and-wellness solution for people with low-grade lymphoma, and possibly extend to virtually any type of cancer in humans.
- The approach of this treatment, which stimulates immune cells only within the tumor, allows them to learn how to fight against that specific type of cancer and migrate to destroy other existing tumors of the same type, making it a highly targeted therapy.
