Molecular oncology
Molecular oncology is an
Main branches
Molecular oncology has identified genes that are involved in the development of cancer. The research combined diverse techniques ranging from
Gene targets
There are many different genes being researched for possible cancer therapies. Among the most studied are the
Molecular oncolytic therapies
Immunotherapy
Immune gene therapy is a targeted approach to cancer therapy where actual immune cells of the patient and their genes are manipulated to produce an anti-tumor response.[5] The body's own immune system is used to attack the tumor cells, therefore the immune system can naturally attack the specific cancer cells again to in the future if necessary.[6] Many types of immunotherapies exist including bone marrow transplants, antibody therapies, and various manipulations of host immune cells to target and kill cancer cells. Cellular receptors, antigens, and cofactor molecules are some such cellular manipulations to target cancer cells.[5]
Chimeric antigen receptor T Cell
Combining CAR-T with checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines
Some regulatory proteins, specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors, have been found to reduce the ability of T cells to multiply within the body.[7] In order to optimize the efficacy of CAR-T gene therapy, these checkpoint inhibitors can be blocked to stimulate a robust anti-tumor immune response, spearheaded by the CAR-T cells.[7] There are various known inhibitory receptors on the CAR-T cell; through manipulation of these receptors and the molecules that bind them, expression of the CAR-T cell can be amplified.[7]
CAR-T cells can also be combined with cytokines to improve the efficacy of the immunotherapy method.[7] Cytokines are messenger molecules that can act on themselves, nearby cells, or distant cells.[7] The signal pathways of these cytokines can be used to enhance CAR-T anti-tumor characteristics.[7] For example, Interleukin 2 (IL2) is a cytokine that acts as a growth factor for various immune system cells, including T cells. In regards to gene therapy, IL2 can be used to increase replication and dispersing of CAR-T cells throughout the body.[7]
Issues with CAR-T therapy
There is room for improvement with this gene therapy approach. Firstly, the antigens of interest expressed on the cancer cells may sometimes be expressed on regular body cells, too.
Gene therapy
In the past few decades, gene therapy has emerged as a targeted way to treat cancer. Gene therapy introduces foreign genetic sequences to diseased cells in order to change the expression of these cancerous cells that are functioning with severely damaged genomes.[5] Cancer cells do not behave like normal cells, so the methods for ridding the body of these cells are more complicated. Manipulation of the pathways controlled by certain genes and their regulators are a large branch of cancer research.
See also
References
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