TCR curb cancers
Cancers are among the diseases attacking people globally and leading to high death rates, regardless of the innate characteristics of an individual. Therefore, efforts to finding its immediate cure have been globally anticipated. Scientists’ discovery of the new cell, known as the t-cells, has brought optimism amongst cancer ailing patients. This is so because the alternative treatment(chemotherapy) involves administering severe therapies. T- cells are a special white blood cell that protects the body against invasion by pathogens. Therefore, when genetically modified, they can protect it from abnormal growth of the body cells. They can eliminate them at the early stages. This may prevent the development of cancer.
T- cell therapy is promising; however, it has some shortcomings. In that, it is patient precise, accompanied by side effects such as seizures, shortness of breath, joint and muscle ache, dizziness, and also effective to a lesser number of cancers. Moreover, it cannot work against solid tumors, which cause the common forms of cancer.
Science behind T-cells
The t cells are gained from a patient’s blood then genetically changed in the lab. This modification involves the introduction of the chimeric antigen receptors. The newly changed t cells are reinfused in the patient’s body. Because of the receptor, they can distinguish the body cells from the cancer cells, hence wiping them out. This is so because, despite both the body and cancer cells having a similar molecule of MR1, the t cell receptor can only destroy the cancer cells. The research confirmed by researchers from Cardiff University.
Discoveries made
A series of lab tests were conducted to determine how effective the receptor is. One of the lab tests showed that the t-cell receptor destroyed the breast, lung, cervix, colon, blood, skin, and other forms of cancer cells. After the t-cell receptor destruction, they leave healthy body cells not destroyed. In another one for patients with skin cancer, it was revealed that the TCR could destroy not only the cancer cells of its specific patient but also other cancer patients. Moreover, another test was conducted on mice injected with cancer cells, and the results showed the receptor destroying the cancer cells and not damaging the body cells despite both cells having a similar molecule of MR1.
Cardiff assures that if the TCR continues to be more productive as it is, it will surely be the most influential remedy for the cancer menace. Another researcher, Andrew Newell, also comments on the future of curbing cancer and remains enthusiastic about the discoveries made.
“Cancer-targeting via MR1-restricted T-cells is an exciting new frontier,” he added. “It raises the prospect of ‘one-size-fits-all’ cancer treatment; a single type of T-cell that could be capable of destroying many different types of cancers across the population. Previously nobody believed this could be possible.”
Related Blog Post: Uganda; Bloodless Malaria Test.
