Immune response to cancer stem cells may dictate cancer course
Source: Bio.com
I read this article in bio.com and found it interesting. So I thought of sharing it with you.
It is now known that mutations in the stem cells slowly accumulate as they divide and in the end develop into cancerous cells. Till now, researchers have been trying to trigger the immune system against the well developed tumour cells. But now, researchers at the Rockefeller University have found out that targeting the antigens of the cancer stem cells could provide a different result altogether.
The disease that they were analysing was MGUS (Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance) which is a type of disease in which an abnormal amount of a particular antibody is produced. This disease is usually benign but in some rare cases, it was found to develop into multiple myeloma which is a cancer of blood plasma cells. It was during this time that they found that the response of the immune system to an embryonic stem cell protein SOX2 appeared to be protecting from the development of multiple myeloma.
From this analysis, the researchers have found out that the immune system reacts to a completely different set of antigens then it does when a full blown tumour is present. Hence they feel that if they can trigger the immune system to attack these “new” antigens, they could prevent cancer from becoming fully blown. But it is still confined to the lab and actual clinical testings have to be done. Hence this new type of therapy will take some time before it can come to a hospital near you.
The disease that they were analysing was MGUS (Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance) which is a type of disease in which an abnormal amount of a particular antibody is produced. This disease is usually benign but in some rare cases, it was found to develop into multiple myeloma which is a cancer of blood plasma cells. It was during this time that they found that the response of the immune system to an embryonic stem cell protein SOX2 appeared to be protecting from the development of multiple myeloma.
From this analysis, the researchers have found out that the immune system reacts to a completely different set of antigens then it does when a full blown tumour is present. Hence they feel that if they can trigger the immune system to attack these “new” antigens, they could prevent cancer from becoming fully blown. But it is still confined to the lab and actual clinical testings have to be done. Hence this new type of therapy will take some time before it can come to a hospital near you.
No comments:
Post a Comment