New MIT Nanotech Fights Cancer Naturally

Daily Tech ^ | September 20, 2010 | Levi Beckerson

[Freeport]

Harnessing the body's own defense forces to fight cancer with nanoscale technology.

In the myriad advances in treating cancer, many a nanotech study has crossed DailyTech’s path. This week another such study was revealed by the journal Nature Medicine (abstract). In the past, we’ve seen all sorts of man-made nanoparticles both acting as a force of cell destruction and as a ferry, shipping anti-tumor drugs straight to cancer cells where they can be of the most benefit. This latest method by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers is akin to the latter, but instead of using nanoparticles to deliver drugs, they deliver modified immune cells from the patient’s own body.

Dr. Darrell Irvine, the team leader for the MIT study, spoke optimistically of the new treatment. “What we're looking for is the extra nudge that could take immune-cell therapy from working in a subset of people to working in nearly all patients, and to take us closer to cures of disease rather than slowing progression.”

The process by which the treatment is administered seems straightforward. T cells, a type of white blood cell which is involved in cell-mediated immunity, are harvested from the patient’s blood. They are then treated in such a way so that they specifically target cancer cells. The new T cells are then attached to a lipid-based nanoparticle filled with interleukins. Interleukins are a type of chemical that helps promote the growth of T cells. Finally, the T cell and interleukin-laden nanoparticles are injected back into the patient, where the T cells seek out the tumors they’ve been programmed to destroy. The interleukins help maintain a healthy T cell count to combat the cancer cells directly without causing aberrant production elsewhere in the body.

[Freeport]

Best combination of existing strategies I've seen to date. Let's hope the next trial goes as well as the mouse trial did.

[dblshot]

Somehow, nanotech and natural don’t fit in the same title.

[Paladin2]

It’s organic nanotechnology so it’s OK.

[SamiGirl]

Thanks for posting this article. Very promising new treatment. Chemo and radiation are a billion dollar industry that has a lock on cancer treatment. Too much money being made to allow anything new to replace it, so let’s pray that this will be successful.

Here is an example of how oncologists think. It’s from a veterinarian, but it still applies. When my dog was being treated for cancer and it didn’t look good, I said to her how I wished a cure would be found to stop the suffering of both people and animals. Her response was, “Then I would be out of a job.” There you have it. It’s all about job security. I told her not to worry, she can always flip burgers.