A group of US scientists has created a novel immunotherapy method that targets tumors efficiently and spares healthy cells by employing cytokine proteins as a possible therapeutic.
Cytokines are small protein molecules that help control inflammation in the body. They are released by the body’s immune cells to fight against cancer and improve treatment effectiveness.
The team from Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering developed the new technique which ensures that immune cell boosts cytokines which curbs tumour spread to other tissues or organs. It also preserved the cytokine’s structure and reactivity levels to not expose toxicity to the rest of the body.
“Cytokines are potent and highly effective at stimulating the immune cells to eliminate cancer cells,” said Rong Tong, associate professor in chemical engineering at Virginia Tech.
“The problem is they’re so potent that if they roam freely throughout the body, they’ll activate every immune cell they encounter, which can cause an overactive immune response and potentially fatal side effects,” he added.
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