Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

New gene-based immunotherapy hunts for hidden cancer cells

This new system should, in theory, be effective against multiple cancer types, including those currently resistant to immunotherapy.

Jordan Strickler by Jordan Strickler
October 14, 2019
in Health, News, Science
New technology could find previously hidden cancer cells. Image Credit: Pixabay

Cancer cells are very good at becoming the masters of disguise when it comes to avoiding detection from the immune system. This game of hide-and-seek is critical to allowing the cells to metastasize and spread throughout the body.

However, a group of scientists from Yale have developed a system to make the cancerous cells stand out from the crowd and help the immune system spot and eliminate tumors that other forms of immunotherapies might miss. This improved system, reported in the journal Nature Immunology, reduced or eliminated melanoma and triple-negative breast and pancreatic tumors in mice, even those located far from the primary tumor source.

Cancer cells genetically change and evolve over time. Scientists have discovered that as these cancer cells evolve, they may lose the ability to create interleukein-33 (IL-33). When IL-33 disappears in the tumor, the body’s immune system has no way of recognizing the cancer cells and they can begin to spread, or metastasize. So far, researchers have found that the loss of IL-33 occurs in epithelial carcinomas. These cancers include prostate, kidney breast, lung, uterine, cervical, pancreatic, skin, among others.

The new technology, coined Multiplexed Activation of Endogenous Genes as Immunotherapy (MAEGI), will basically launch a massive cell hunt for tens of thousands of genes and then acts like a GPS to mark their location and amplify the signals.

MAEGI weds viral gene therapy and CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology to mark the tumor cells for immune destruction, which then turns a cold tumor (one that lacks immune cells) into a hot tumor (those with immune cells). Essentially, it takes the hidden cancer cells and lights them up like a Christmas tree.

“This is an entirely new form of immunotherapy,” said Sidi Chen, assistant professor of genetics and senior author of the study. “And once those cells are identified, the immune system immediately recognizes them if they show up in the future.”

This new system should, in theory, be effective against multiple cancer types, including those currently resistant to immunotherapy. Upcoming studies will optimize the system for simpler manufacturing and prepare for clinical trials in cancer patients.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Breakthrough immunotherapy can kill tumors in some terminally ill cancer patients
  2. New synthetic molecule could finally bring immunotherapy for cancer into pill form
  3. High Vitamin C doses can enhance immunotherapy — at least in mice
  4. Killing cancer with salt: chlorine payload brings destruction to cancer cells
  5. Cancer cells turned into fat to stop cancer development
Tags: cancerMultiplexed Activation of Endogenous Genes as Immunotherapyyale

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW