Cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body. These cells can form tumors and invade nearby tissues. They can also spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream and lymph system.
Cancer can occur in many different parts of the body and is classified on the basis of type of cell and the location in which it originates. Some of the most common types of cancer include lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, skin cancer (melanoma), bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, and thyroid cancer. It is important to note that cancer can also be classified by its stage and grade, which helps to determine the extent of the disease and the best course of treatment.
The burden of cancer is increasing globally, with the World Health Organization estimating that the number of new cancer cases may rise by about 70% over the next two decades. This surge is largely due to an aging population and the adoption of western lifestyles, which increase the risk of certain types of cancer. Countries with low and middle-income are particularly at risk, as they often have limited resources to address the growing cancer burden.
According to a study done by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2022, individuals born after a decade or so are extremely likely to be affected with the onset of cancer such as colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, and pancreatic cancer. Such cancers have dramatically increased in the recent years and the risk is increasing with each generation. For instance, according to a data published by Globocan 2020,
Asia-Pacific comprised of about 49% of the entire cancer population and the second leading region was Europe with 22.8% of cancer cases. Europe was followed by Northern America, Latin America & the Caribbean, Africa, and Oceania with 13.3%, 7.6%, 5.7%, and 1.3% respectively. Major factors responsible for the increase in cancer cases globally are upsurge in pollution, increase in consumption of alcohol & rise in cigarette smoking coupled with the individuals working in environments exposed to a high dose of chemotherapy and radiation.
Existing cancer therapies include a range of treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy. Surgery is the most common treatment for many types of cancer and it involves removing the cancerous tissue from the body. The advantages of surgery include that it can potentially cure cancer if it is caught early, and it can also be used to diagnose cancer and its stage. However, surgery is invasive and can lead to physical disfigurement, pain, and long recovery time.
Radiation therapy is another type of cancer treatment that uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. This type of treatment can be used to shrink tumors before surgery and it can be used to control the growth of cancer in cases where surgery is not an option. Nevertheless, it can cause side effects such as fatigue, skin irritation, and long-term side effects such as heart disease and secondary cancers. Similarly, chemotherapy is a different type of treatment method that uses drugs to kill cancer cells and targeted therapy is a form of treatment that uses drugs to target specific genes or proteins in cancer cells.
Existing cancer therapies, while effective in treating certain types of cancer, have certain limitations that can limit their overall efficacy and cause side effects. For example, surgery can be invasive and can lead to physical disfigurement and take long recovery time, whereas radiation therapy and chemotherapy can cause side effects such as fatigue, skin irritation, and long-term side effects such as heart disease and secondary cancers. Targeted therapy can be expensive and not work for all types of cancer.
Hence, many studies are being carried out to understand and develop a novel therapy to cure all types of cancer globally. The recent study related to double network hydrogels is one promising field that could prove beneficial in the near future owing to its certain advantages.
Double Network Hydrogels, or DN hydrogels, have the potential to be an evolution in cancer therapy due to their unique mechanical and biological properties. By mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM), DN hydrogels can provide a more accurate in vitro model of cancer progression and metastasis, which can be used to study the underlying mechanisms of these processes and to develop new cancer therapies.
DN hydrogels can be designed to encapsulate drugs and release them in a controlled manner, which allows targeted delivery of drugs to cancer cells. This can significantly augment the effectiveness of cancer therapies and reduce the side effects associated with traditional chemotherapy. In addition, DN hydrogels can be used to create 3D cell cultures, which can mimic the cellular microenvironment of solid tumors more closely than 2D cell cultures, allowing more physiologically relevant testing of new cancer therapies.
For instance, in 2021, a study based on DN hydrogel was developed at Hokkaido University, which was funded and supported by grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (MEXT).
In this project, researchers successfully reverted cancer cells back to cancer stem cells within 24 hours that too in six different human cancer types such as brain cancer, uterine cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, and sarcoma. The researchers discovered some of the molecular mechanisms implicated in cancer cell reprogramming.
The team found that calcium channel receptors as well as the protein osteopontin were vital for the induction of cancer stem cells. They also discovered that brain cancer cells from a patient that had been cultured on the DN gel formed receptors called platelet-derived growth factor receptors. Moreover, by adding a molecular inhibitor of these receptors, the research team were able to target and eradicate the cancer stem cells. Such development suggests that the DN gel could be utilized to select therapeutic drugs.
In addition, they showed that the brain cancer cells that had been cultured on DN gel formed tumors efficiently when transplanted/relocated into mice brain, suggesting the stemness of the cancer cells. This kind of finding suggests that the ongoing studies pertaining to DN hydrogels in cancer research is expected to pave way for research into drugs that can target cancer stem cells as per one of the lead researcher Shinya Tanaka involved in the study.
In summary, DN hydrogels have the potential to overcome the limitations of existing cancer therapies by providing a more accurate in vitro model of cancer progression, allowing for targeted delivery of drugs, and mimicking the cellular microenvironment of solid tumors more closely. This can lead to the development of more effective and less toxic cancer therapies.
Adoptive Cell Therapy (ACT), is another type of cancer treatment that involves the transfer of immune cells, such as T cells, from the patient’s own body into their bloodstream. These cells, known as adoptive T cells, are genetically modified to target and destroy cancer cells. ACT has shown promise in the treatment of various types of cancer, such as melanoma and leukemia. However, more research is needed to determine the safety and efficacy of ACT, as well as to identify the best methods for delivering the adopted T cells to the patient.
Currently, there are several adopted cell therapies that have been approved for cancer treatment, which includes Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR-T) therapy, Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy, and Natural killer (NK) cells therapy.
CAR-T therapy uses T cells that have been genetically modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that binds to a specific antigen on cancer cells. CAR-T therapy has been approved for the treatment of certain types of leukemia and lymphoma. The benefit of CAR-T therapy is its ability to target cancer cells specifically and its potential to induce long-term remission or even a cure in some patients. However, it can also cause severe side effects, such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity. In addition, the cost of CAR-T therapy is quite high.
TIL therapy is a form of ACT that involves the transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) back into the patient’s body. TILs are immune cells that have infiltrated the patient’s tumor and are therefore already able to recognize and target cancer cells. TIL therapy has recently been used to treat cancer such as melanoma. Few advantages of TIL therapy include the use of patient’s own cells which are already able to recognize the cancer cells and the potential for long-term remission.
Nevertheless, TIL therapy is a complex and resource-intensive process that requires isolation, expansion, and characterization of TILs from the patient’s tumor, which is a time taking process and may cause difficulties for the patient.
Further, NK cell therapy uses NK cell, which is a type of immune cell that can kill cancer cells directly. NK cell therapy has been used to treat certain types of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. The advantage of NK cell therapy is that NK cells can target a broad range of cancer cells and can also target cells that have evaded the immune system. However, NK cells can also attack healthy cells, leading to side effects and it also requires large numbers of NK cells to be effective.
Upcoming adoptive cell therapies include TCR-T therapy and CAR-NK therapy, which are being researched to target various cancer types. These therapies have the potential to overcome some of the limitations of existing therapies, such as the ability to target a wider range of cancer antigens and the ability to reduce side effects. However, more research is needed to determine their safety and efficacy. Below is one such example of a recent study of adoptive immunotherapy to make it work for more cancer types such as prostate cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer.
Dr. Giulia Casorati (Worldwide Cancer Research) and her team at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy, has researched regarding the development of new technique in adoptive immunotherapy and how it can work for more cancer types.
In this study, Dr. Casorati and team focused on a certain type of immune cell named invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells). These cells are a typical part of the human immune system, and they combat cancer cells by killing other bad immune cells that would help the cancer grow.
The researchers then engineered a special version of iNKT cells in mice which will be able to detect new types of cells, by adding something called a T cell receptor (TCR). The team did so in several mouse models of cancer, including prostate cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer.
Post the incorporation of iNKT cells in mice, the researchers found that this gave the iNKT cells the power to directly kill cancer cells, on top of their natural ability to deal with other immune cells. In addition, the engineered iNKT cells slowed the growth of some tumors and even cured some less aggressive ones.
Further, Dr. Casorati and her team discovered that they could increase this impact even further utilizing a known drug called alpha-Galactosyl Ceramide (Alpha-GalCer). To make this approach even more efficient, the researchers used nanotechnology to precisely deliver the drug to the site of the tumor, which made the antitumor effect of the therapy stronger and helped the iNKT cells do an even better job at destroying cancer cells.
According to Dr. Casorati post the research study, she quoted that “It is possible to improve adoptive cell therapy with engineered immune cells that have a strong intrinsic anti-tumor activity. We hope we have laid the foundations for an innovative approach of adoptive cell therapy of cancer, hopefully more efficient than the current ones.” Hence, such new advances in novel therapies for cancer and the development of technologically advanced drug delivery devices will create a hope of the cancer patient population in the coming years.
About Author:
Trupti holds a master’s degree in business administration with a marketing specialization with a focus on the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industry. She works as a team lead in Lifesciences and Healthcare domain at Allied Market Research. She has demonstrated skills and a strong foothold in market research with more than 7 years of experience in various verticals of healthcare. Trupti has expertise in providing market research and consulting services in medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare IT, and diagnostics. Trupti has worked with various industry players, a few of them are Danaher Corporation, Sartorius AG, Merck, IQVIA, GSK, 3M, and Fresenius Kabi for customized market research and business solutions.