Key points from article :
Immunotherapy attempts to neutralize cancer cells’ defenses and amplify the natural immune response to cancer.
But not all cancer patients respond to immunotherapy, also, it can be expensive and toxic.
New treatment takes a three-pronged approach:
- immunogenic cancer cell death (ICD): induced the collapse of the vasculature at the tumor core
- inflammation: activating toll-like receptors (TLRs) recruits the innate immune system
- immune priming: triggered dendritic cells (DCs) which are especially good in antigen presentation
Single injection uses lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) loaded with self-replicating RNA (that codes for cytokine interleukin-12, IL-12).
The effects of the therapy were confirmed in vivo in mice and in vitro across several types of human cancer cells.
Was also able to affect other tumors that were not directly treated, and reduced metastatis.
Research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology published in Nature.
