Novel immunotherapy to combat cancer and protect healthy cells

A group of US scientists has created a novel immunotherapy method that targets tumors efficiently and spares healthy cells by using cytokine proteins as a possible therapeutic.

Small protein molecules called cytokines aid in the regulation of inflammation in the body. The body’s immune cells release them to fight cancer and increase the efficacy of therapy.

The novel method, which was created by a team from Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, guarantees that immune cells increase cytokines, which prevent tumors from spreading to other tissues or organs. Additionally, it maintained the cytokine’s responsiveness and structure to prevent toxicity to the body as a whole.

“Cytokines are strong and very successful in inducing the immune system to destroy cancer cells,” said Rong Tong, a Virginia Tech associate professor of chemical engineering.

He went on, “The issue is that they are so powerful that if they move freely throughout the body, they will trigger every immune cell they come into contact with, which can result in an overreaction by the immune system and potentially lethal side effects.”

On the other hand, since chemotherapy affects every cell in the body, it is unable to distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells, leading to adverse consequences including tiredness and hair loss.

A viable cancer treatment option is to activate the body’s immune system to target tumors. In the study that was published in the journal Science Advances, the researchers pointed out that although cytokine administration may stimulate immune cells in the tumor, overstimulating healthy cells can have serious negative consequences.