Curing cancer is one of the biggest challenges for the medical fraternity in the 21st century. Over the last two decades, our knowledge about cancer has improved significantly. Numerous recent studies have revealed that there can be a huge variability between different types of cancer, as well as individuals suffering from similar types of cancer.
It currently appears that a single cure for types of cancer may not a feasible option. Instead, each cancer patient would be treated based on their specific needs. However, this idea of personalized medicine can become a reality only in the presence of a wider range of therapies covering the entire spectrum of cancer.
In the recent past, there has been a significant amount of work in terms of developing new technologies that are immensely beneficial to the field of immuno-oncology. In simple words, these technologies are capable of playing a critical role in helping the immune system and attacking tumors.
Discussed below are some of the latest technologies that have the potential to revolutionize the way cancer is treated.
Personalized Vaccines: One of the primary causes of cancer is the transformation of healthy cells of the body into tumors by genetic mutations. New therapies for cancer are often designed around these mutations. Different immuno-oncology companies around the world are already engaged in efforts to develop therapeutic vaccines for each individual tumor. This means that a tailor-made product may soon be available for each cancer patient.
By carrying out a comparison between the DNA sequences of cancerous and healthy cells, multiple cancer mutations can be identified. Therefore, it is possible to select the mutations with a high probability of provoking a strong immune system reaction. The vaccines are administered in the form of messenger RNA. These molecules instruct the cells to create a cancer antigen capable of priming the human immune system against the tumor.
Cell Therapy: A cell therapy for cancer was approved for the first time in 2018. The clinical trial of this high-end technology named CAR-T cell therapy involves collecting the patient’s immune T-cells and targeting a specific cancer antigen by genetically engineering these cells. The results of CAR-T clinical trials have been impressive to say the least. Right now, this technology is available only for the treatment of some rare forms of blood cancer. Several industry players are currently in the process of developing CAR-T treatments targeting a wider range of cancer patients.
Gene Editing: The field of gene editing has seen tremendous developments in recent years with the advent of technologies such as CRISPR and Cas9. These technologies have now made gene sequence modification much easier and faster while maintaining high precision. Cancer could become one of the earliest medical applications of this groundbreaking technology. CRISPR technology also has the potential to improve CAR-T and other cancer therapies.
Human Microbiome: Researchers have now revealed that many aspects of human health including cancer can be regulated by the human microbiome, which refers to the microorganism collection that resides in the human body. The latest studies suggest that the different elements of the microbiome can play a critical role in boosting a cancer patient’s suppressed immune system. Tumor cells generally remain invisible to the immune system. Within the microbiome, on the surface of tumors, peptides that mimic antigens are found. With the help of these peptides, it is possible to ensure that the tumor cells become visible once again to the immune system.
Along with making use of these latest technologies, the onus should also be on avoiding medications that are known to cause cancer. Some of you may already be aware of the latest developments related to Zantac, a popular brand of ranitidine that is known to cause cancer.
If you or any of your loved ones has suffered from cancer after taking Zantac, you can seek legal remedy by filing a lawsuit. Consider contacting a Zantac lawyer in your locality because this can otherwise be a daunting prospect.
