A new immune discovery could provide a universal cancer cure, so how does it work... and how close is it to actually happening?
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There are a couple of different types of immunotherapy, but this new discovery points to a facet of our immune system that could be harnessed to treat all cancers, according to researchers.

These recent findings, published in Nature Immunology, relate to a very specific category called T-cell therapy. T-cells are a kind of white blood cell. These cells have surface molecules all over them called receptors, and they patrol your body looking for stuff that shouldn’t be there.

The team at Cardiff University has actually showed that these T-cells can kill lung, liver, breast, melanoma, and other cancer cells—all while leaving healthy cells alone.

Find out more about what this new type of immunotherapy could mean for the future of cancer treatment in this Elements.

#cancer #treatment #tcells #science #seeker #elements

Read More:

Immune discovery 'may treat all cancer'
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51182451
"The Cardiff team discovered a T-cell and its receptor that could find and kill a wide range of cancerous cells in the lab including lung, skin, blood, colon, breast, bone, prostate, ovarian, kidney and cervical cancer cells."

New Discovery Raises Hope For Universal Cancer Treatment
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/...
"The method has not been tested in humans, but Crowther says he is “excited” about what it could mean for the future of cancer treatment."

Cutting-edge CRISPR gene editing appears safe in three cancer patients
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/...
"Two women and one man, all in their 60s—one with sarcoma and two with the blood cancer multiple myeloma—received CRISPR-altered versions of their own cells last year, researchers report online in Science this week."

The History of Cancer Therapy, an Interactive Timeline
https://static.scientificamerican.com...
"Cancer is an ancient disease but modern cancer care is relatively new. In the past century and a half, doctors and researchers have made enormous strides in the understanding and treatment of this affliction, which was once nearly always fatal."

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