Engineering thru nature to fight cancer (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, March 06, 2022, 18:34 (971 days ago) @ David Turell

Using known proteins to concentrate a fight with cancer locally:

https://www.sciencealert.com/new-drug-factory-beads-can-wipe-out-some-cancers-in-mice

"An experimental new type of cancer treatment has yielded some impressive results in mice: the eradication of advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in the animals as little as six days.

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"The treatment involves tiny 'drug factory' beads that are implanted into the body and deliver a continuous, high dose of interleukin-2 (IL2) – a natural compound that enlists white blood cells in the fight against cancer.

"'We just administer once, but the drug factories keep making the dose every day, where it's needed until the cancer is eliminated," says bioengineer Omid Veiseh from Rice University in Texas.

"'Once we determined the correct dose – how many factories we needed – we were able to eradicate tumors in 100 percent of animals with ovarian cancer and in seven of eight animals with colorectal cancer."

"Interleukin-2 is one of a group of immune system-triggering proteins called cytokines. Although cytokines are already used in cancer treatment for melanoma and renal carcinoma, but the problem scientists have is getting cytokines to fight tumors effectively while avoiding dangerously high levels of inflammation elsewhere in the body, causing dramatic side effects.

"In this study, the beads were placed in the peritoneum, a sac-like lining around the intestines, ovaries, and other abdominal organs. That enables the drugs to specifically target the cancer without burdening the body in terms of volume or weight.

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"Each bead has an outer cell made of hydrogel which shields the cytokine-producing cells, protecting them from attack. These beads are recognized as foreign objects by the surrounding immune system, but not as immediate threats, which enables them to do their work. They can then be programmed to turn off automatically.

"'We found foreign body reactions safely and robustly turned off the flow of cytokine from the capsules within 30 days," says Veiseh. "We also showed we could safely administer a second course of treatment should it become necessary in the clinic."

"The drug factory beads can potentially be adopted for cancers elsewhere in the body, as long as there's a lining where they could house them, and they could be tweaked to deliver different types of drugs, the researchers say. It's a flexible system as well as an innovative one.

"What's more, the drugs that are being used here have already been approved as safe for use in clinical trials, which should speed up the process. The final treatment should be minimally-invasive and relatively straightforward to administer."

Comment: as we learn how living proteins work to protect us, we can enhance their selectivity to go on the attack in ways eh body cannot do. Interleukin-2 is the same protein which causes to much lung damage in Covid infections and its effect is tamped down by dexamethasone treatment. Cancer is the result of continuous very high-speed cell reproductive activity. Maintaining active living cells and life's homeostasis is a constant requirement, which means maintaining life is on a knife edge for the occurrence of as genetic mistake leading to cancer. Luckily or purposely we have God-given brains to step in with new solutions.