"Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment: 3-in-1 Antibody Shows Promise for Personalized Immunotherapy"
A team of researchers at Uppsala University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology has made a groundbreaking discovery in cancer treatment, developing an antibody that combines three functionalities to target and deliver a drug package, while simultaneously activating the immune system.
The "3-in-1 design" antibody has been shown to work as precision medicine for cancer, targeting specific mutations and gene changes known as neoantigens. This is achieved by delivering a unique tumour-specific material directly to a particular type of immune cell and stimulating it to enhance the T-cell response to the tumour.
The results have been impressive, with animal models showing prolonged survival rates and even preventing malignant tumors from forming at high doses. The method has also been found to be safer than previous cancer treatments, according to the researchers.
"The advantage of our drug is that it is easy to produce on a larger scale yet can be easily tailored to the patient's disease or specific tumor," said Johan Rockberg, Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. "The production cost and time required to tailor a peptide to a new tumour decreases the availability and increases efficiency for patients."
Customized precision medicines are often costly and time-consuming to develop, but this breakthrough has the potential to change that. The researchers hope to use the optimized production process to manufacture the drug candidate for further safety studies and clinical trials in humans.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Faces Misconduct Probe
The International Criminal Court's governing body announced an external investigation into alleged misconduct by chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who has denied the allegations. Khan was accused of sexual misconduct towards a member of his office, but he maintained that there was "no truth to suggestions" of such behavior.
Khan said he would continue to perform his duties as prosecutor while the investigation unfolds. The ICC president stated that an external probe was necessary to ensure a fully independent and impartial process.
The investigation follows Khan's recent actions seeking ICC arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and three top Hamas leaders.