[ad_1]
Treatments Exploring the Immune System to Fight Cancer is a growing field of research for scientists around the world. Now, a team of researchers from the United States has developed a drug that helps the body "eat" and destroy cancer cells.
Treatment increases the action of white blood cells, called macrophages, that the immune system uses to devour unwanted invaders.
all
skin the scientific journal reported Nature
photo: Getty Images / BBC News Brazil
Tests on mice showed that the therapy worked for aggressive tumors Biomedical Engineering ( journal of Biomedical Engineering of Nature) .
The US team that conducted the study hopes to start testing on humans in a few years. According to the researchers, the fact that the drug already has a license should speed up the process of approval.
Novelty developed from component molecules that insert as blocks of bricks is a "supramolecule". The study involves a consumer immune cell or "phagocytic" called macrophage. Macrophages help fight bacterial and viral infections because they can recognize and attack these "invaders".
But they are not as effective in the fight against cancer because tumors grow from our own cells and have smart mechanisms to protect themselves from the attack of the immune system.
In mice, supramolecular therapy appeared to prevent cancer from growing and spreading.
The researchers predict that the drug may be used in combination with other cancer treatments such as immunological inhibitors of immunotherapy control points. These points are specialized molecules that can prevent the immune system from acting, so that the defense cells are only used when needed.
Carl Alexander of the UK Cancer Research Institute, says that it is "promising" to see more research. According to him, it is now necessary to work more on this study to show that the new drug could, in fact, be used in treatments.
BBC News Brazil – All rights reserved. Reproduction is prohibited without the written permission of BBC News Brazil
[ad_2]
Source link
