Groundbreaking Antibody Discovery Offers New Hope for Cancer Treatment
Researchers at Uppsala University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology have created a revolutionary antibody that has the potential to treat a variety of cancers. The breakthrough, known as the "3-in-1 design," integrates three different functionalities in the antibody, significantly increasing its action on cancer tumors.
The innovative antibody targets and delivers a drug package via itself while simultaneously activating the immune system. This personalized immunotherapy treatment has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment by redirecting the immune system to find and target specific mutations and gene changes found only in cancer cells.
According to Dr.sara Mangsbo, professor at Uppsala University's Department of Pharmacy, who led the research study, "We have been researching precision medicine for close to 15 years now, as well as how we can use antibodies to influence an important key protein (CD40) in the immune system. We can now show that our new antibody method works as precision medicine for cancer."
The results of the study demonstrate that the method activates the right type of immune cells in human blood samples and shows prolonged survival rates in animal models, even at higher doses.
"It was with deep sadness that I understood reports of misconduct were to be aired publicly in relation to me," said ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, amid news that the International Criminal Court's governing body has launched an external probe into alleged misconduct allegations against him. However, this does not appear to have distracted from the announcement about the new cancer treatment.
The "3-in-1 design" can be easily tailored to each patient's disease or specific tumor, increasing availability and reducing production costs and time. According to Prof. Johan Rockberg, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the medicine consists of two parts that are combined: a targeting bispecific antibody and a custom peptide part.
"We have developed a unique type of antibody that both targets and delivers a drug package via the antibody itself, while simultaneously activating the immune system for personalized immunotherapy treatments," explained Rockberg in a statement.