Cancer Medical Research
Introduction
With the emergence of killer diseases such as cancer and diabetes, medical research institutions are devoting enormous resources to discover new and effective ways of tackling the problem. The United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) are the premier research facilities, boasting of the world’s largest source of biomedical research funding. Started over a century ago, the institute has been at the forefront in advancing the understanding of health and diseases. As a result, the world is safe from traditional ailments that threatened life. Consequently, life expectancies have increased by at least three decades since the inception of the research facilities. Aided by modern technology, the
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There are about three common immunotherapies, which are: hybrid, passive or active. Immunotherapy operates under the scientific facts that lays out that cancer cells contain molecules that are attached onto their surface which the immune system can detect. In active immunotherapy, tumor associated antigens (TAAs) are directed at the cancer cells and they begin attacking them. Passive immunotherapy works by enhancing anti-tumor responses by the use of monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, and lymphocytes. In some cases, immune cells are transferred from the body of the patient, cultured, and returned to the body to attack the cancer cells (Collins, 2009). This form of cellular therapy commonly uses and dendritic cells and cytotoxic T-cells.
History of Immunotherapy Immunotherapy traces its origin to the immunization programs of the 1796, when scientists discovered that introducing toxins to the body caused the body to form antitoxins. Later on, it was discovered that antibodies could be formed to target a specific disease in the body. It was until 1987 when researchers discovered that cytotoxic T-lymphocyte 4th antigen (CTLA-4) prevented T (thymus associated) cells from attacking and destroying tumor cells. This discovery made a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Researchers created an antibody against the CTLA-4 that allowed the human immune system to attack and destroy tumorigenic cells in the body (Marraffini, 2010). This discovery formed the
Our existence, as the most developed species on Earth, relies on intelligence and determination to understand how our body functions and what we can do to help with its constant battle for survival. Diseases that were once deemed rare are becoming extremely common. With no cures, many patients’ lives are endangered. Being born in a generation full of technological advancements, I believe that, with my passion for biology and inquisitiveness for the world of biomedical science, now is the time to engage in this global challenge to develop easier and better ways to live our lives.
It has targeted cells that work to kill and defend any pathogen or impurity that enters one’s body. In the case of cancers, a person’s cells grow abnormally forming a tumor. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells lose the ability to undergo apoptosis, cell death. Thus, one’s body harvests a tumor that most likely has a chance to spread and become deadly. Luckily, the biotech industry concocted innovative research that called for a new method of cancer treatment. Immunotherapy is designed to program one’s immune system to destroy and fight off the cancer. Originally, it has been mainly used for allergies. Dosages of medication or vaccinations are given to a patient to ensure that the immune system will not overreact to certain types of foreign substances. The therapy requires a drug that delivers an anticancer immune cell, specifically designed to attach on to the specific antigen that the tumor contains. According to scientist, immunotherapy gives patients “long term protection with reduced side effects against the cancer” (McGinley). The purpose of this treatment is to strengthen the immune system and specifically targets cancerous cells. Due to scientific research and the use of biotechnological methods, immunotherapy is able to prevent the threat of killing cells necessary to one’s body. Providing patients with a treatment that does not take a toll on their bodies, nor threaten to kill healthy cells is one relief the person
The research presented in Jedd D. Wolchok “Cancer’s Off Switch” examines two different forms of immunotherapy used to treat cancer cells by boosting the patient's own immune system defenses. The article provides a comprehensive history of the scientific discoveries and previous research that lead to the immunotherapy treatments, specifically the different levels of the immune system. In addition, the article addresses two different methods of immunotherapy currently in testing in clinical use. The research is educationally significant because it focuses on the body's internal defense system and attempts to disable the brakes cancer cells enforce on the immune system, which has shown progress in both tumor size regression and improvements in
Cancer immunotheraphy is a concept that has been around for centuries. Back in the 1800s, a bone surgeon named William Coley injected his patients with a vaccine consisting of killed bacteria hoping it would stimulate the body's defense system. During the 1990s, physicians treated people with cancer with a cytokine treatment. This treatment involved high amounts of interleuken-2 (IL-2) and interferon-γ (IFNγ), also known as inflammatory cytokines. These inflammatory cytokines were released by white blood cells that fight infection (T cells). However, this treatment can have very dangerous side effects such as vascular leakage and kidney damage, but some people that received the cytokine treatment have lived for decades. In the year of 1996,
The cancer cells had spread into the dermis and even into the subcutaneous layer of the skin. The cells with pleomorphic nuclei that were in the epidermis were surrounding the main tumor. Since the cancer had reached this stage, the immune system was actively trying to fight this disease.6 The lymphocytes were producing antibodies to combat the cancer cells which were considered as a threat to the body. They were also trying to get rid of the foreign tissue that might be present.
In other words, it specifically triggers immune responses pertaining to the mesothelioma malignancy or targets the cancer cells at hand. Active immunotherapy excites an immune response by presenting antigens to the immune system for a response against the malignancy itself. Although the mesothelioma malignancy has a unique set of cells, the tumor does not always produce antigens. This results in the use of an antigen precursor protein called Mesothelin, which allows these antigens to form around the tumor in hopes to specifically target the malignancy site. On the other hand, passive immunotherapy does just the opposite. Passive immunotherapy does not induce an immune response; it simply and directly targets the malignancy by injecting “immune compounds that attack the cancer such as antibodies, cytokines, T cells and macrophages” (Selby). Non-specific immunotherapy injects cells that inhibit the growth of the tumor cells, preventing those cells from constant reproduction. These cells that are injected cooperate directly with the malignancy and are known as cytokines, lymphokine-activated killer cells and macrophages. Immunotherapies such as active, passive and non-specific passive all are becoming effective therapies for mesothelioma and are indicative of improving the patient’s
Immunotherapy has caught the interest of researchers as these treatments use the own body immune system to to detect and destroy cancerous cells. A cancer vaccine has been the most appealing as it could be made of whole pancreatic cancer cells, so that the body can detect these foreign cells and build up antibodies, so when these cells do show up later the body can recognize and attack the production of cancerous cells. Fortunately, antibodies have been helpful in various cancers, but it has not worked with treating pancreatic cancers.
In a move to transform the nation's medical research capabilities and speed the movement of research discoveries from the bench to the bedside, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has laid out a series of far-reaching initiatives known
Scientists discovered two very important facts about the tumors themselves that explain the malfunction of NK cells. The first one is that an inflammatory
Lung cancer is the number one cause of death by cancer. It has affected my family tremendously. My grandma was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in June of 2014, it has been almost two years and she is still fighting. She has gone through so much and it really takes a toll on your body. She has gone through years of chemotherapy, radiation, so many drugs and recently was put on oxygen that she needs 24/7. I pray every day that people will stop smoking and not take the risk of developing lung cancer.
The mission of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) is “science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems, and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.” The research supported by NIH extends from basic research that explores the fundamental workings of biological systems and behavior, to studies that examine disease and treatments in clinical settings, to prevention and population-based analyses of health status and needs.
Cancer has been a disease since the dawn of man and even since that moment, we as humans have strived to understand its’ lethality and discover ways to combat it. This proves to be a more difficult task than it seems. Cancer, by definition, is the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in the body [1]. These divisions can spread into the surrounding tissues as well and cause damage to the regions they locate to. Many of these divisions can lead to solid growths in the body. The growths are usually referred to as tumors [1]. These tumors are masses of tissue that group together.
Immunotherapy is a newer form of cancer research in which the treatments allow the immune system to detect and attack the cancer cells. According to the National Cancer Institute website, immunotherapy is a newer form of cancer treatment, which is being used in many different ways to target the multiple forms of cancer, as treatments may vary from patient to patient though they have the same type of cancer. One method of immunotherapy uses medicine to stop the release of certain proteins that would otherwise stop the immune system from attacking the cancerous cells. This method is used with tumours that secrete these proteins that normally stop the immune system from attacking healthy cells. Another method of immunotherapy, called adoptive
Malignant neoplasia, more commonly known as cancer, can arise anywhere in the body in various sizes, shape and form, and can affect anyone. The treatment of cancer depends on the various factors, namely the type of cancer, how far it has grown and spread, and how fast it is growing. Medical advancements are continuing to benefit the treatment of cancer, as they are being detected earlier and patients are living longer. I will be discussing the three most used cancer treatments; surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy; and briefly investigating how they can be used together as a combination therapy with the example of breast cancer. I will also be exploring the emerging cancer treatment of immunotherapy, and comparing and contrasting the benefits and drawbacks/limits of these four treatments in terms of their biological process, and how they act in the body. Surgery is one of the main treatments for cancer, and is usually the first option considered following diagnosis. Usually, the earlier a cancer is found the easier it is to remove it. Surgery may be the only treatment you need if the tumour is contained in the body area and has not metastasized. The primary goal is to remove the malignant tumour as completely as possible; and procedurally some normal tissue from around the cancer is also removed. The surgeon may also remove the lymph nodes nearest to the cancer, in case they contain cancer cells that can be moved around the body through the lymphatic system. After
Nearly three hundred years ago, Edward Jenner made a scientific breakthrough as he developed a vaccine for smallpox from cowpox pustules. By 1980, a WHO-led vaccination campaign had eradicated the disease from the face of the planet. As immunologists realized the value of this discovery, this catalyzed research for vaccines for numerous other diseases, until scientists had not only started discovering vaccines for previously elusive viruses such as HIV, but also for diseases such as cancer, that weren’t necessarily infectious. However, conventional vaccines that used live-attenuated or dead pathogens were limited in safety and ability to provide an adequate cytotoxic T-Cell response. This led to the development of third generation DNA