Scientists are close to creating a vaccine that can defeat any cancer. This will make it possible to treat cancer much more effectively.
As you know, there are many types of cancer, and each of them requires individual treatment. But now a group of scientists from different countries has come close to creating a universal vaccine that will be effective against a wide variety of cancers.
The essence of the concept lies in nanoparticles that contain RNA. Once inside the immune cells, they activate the defense systems of the human body, which prevents tumor growth.
Researchers have created special nanoparticles, lipoplexes, consisting of RNA molecules that encode information about the antigen, and a lipid membrane that protects the molecules from destruction by the body. Lipoplexes carry a small negative charge on their surface: this allows them to get inside dendritic cells. The genetic code can be “programmed” to be effective against any type of cancer.
The intravenous vaccine has already passed tests, which the researchers themselves say have given promising results. The tests were carried out on mice, and in addition, several people with skin cancer took part in them.
In about a year, it will be possible to obtain final conclusions, and after that large-scale testing of the sample in humans will begin. According to Ugur Sahin, a researcher representing the University of Mainz (Germany), the use of this drug in the case of ordinary people can be talked about in about five years.
It is important that the new vaccine is therapeutic, not preventive. However, similar developments aimed at activating the internal potential of the body have been presented in recent years by many research groups. So, scientists recently said a new word in immunotherapy, who found that the MUS81 enzyme is a key component when it comes to ensuring the response of the human immune system to the threat from cancer. It turned out that chemotherapy in some cases leads to the activation of genes responsible for the formation of MUS81. This can significantly help in the fight against cancer.
Scientists often emphasize that it is most effective to combine several types of cancer treatments. For example, chemotherapy and surgery.
Promotional video:
And one of the latest advances in cancer treatment was made by scientists from the University of Georgia. They have created a protein that triggers the death of a receptor associated with cancer (and not only) diseases. It is believed that this discovery could become the basis for a new therapeutic direction.
Ilya Vedmedenko