Israeli medical technology enhances the effect of anti-cancer drugs
A breakthrough at the Technion – a technology that makes it possible to reduce the dose of the anti-cancer drug a million times without compromising its effectiveness
By: Coral Dean
Researchers in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering at the Technion led the development as a breakthrough A significant way in the field of immunotherapy – an innovative medical approach that has become one of the most promising trends in cancer medicine.
This approach is based on the ability of the natural immune system to destroy cancer cells. The immune system knows how to do this more specifically and accurately than artificial anti-cancer drugs. But since That the cancerous tumor is heterogeneous and elusive, it sometimes manages to fool the immune system – and this is where science comes into the picture, with new tools that help the immune system deal with this challenge..
At the heart of the new development is a protein called TRAIL Existing in the natural immune system and known to cause deliberate suicide (apoptosis) of cancer cells. In other words, it is deadly-growth.
Another benefit of the protein: it is selective, meaning it only harms cancer cells – a highly desirable feature in anti-cancer treatments. The application of the protein TRAIL Has so far encountered various technical challenges including the absorption of the protein in the body, its movement, and the fact that it does not survive long. The present study provides a solution to these problems.
Technology Nano-Ghosts. The development presented in the article by Technion researchers is based on original technology developed by Prof. Mahlouf during her years of work at the Technion: Platform Nano-Ghosts. The platform is produced by emptying specific biological cells (mesenchymal stem cells) in a way that leaves only the cell membrane. Any drug can be inserted into this membrane And launch it by injection directly into the bloodstream. Because the natural immune system treats these cells as natural cells, it launches them into the infected site. On their way there they do not release the drug and therefore do not harm the healthy tissues. Only when they reach the malignant tissue, which they know to recognize, do they break down and insert The drug to the tumor cells.
integration. The present study combines the three sections Previous: The immunotherapeutic concept, protein TRAIL And technology Nano-Ghosts Developed by Prof. Mahlouf. The result: a drug-launching platform on whose outer layer is the active protein, which allows Reduce the dose of the drug by a million times While maintaining the same medical effect.
According to Prof. Mahlouf, “This combination makes the platform Nano-Ghosts From a ‘taxi’ that transports the medicine to the destination to a real ‘tank’ that participates in the fighting. This combined platform brings the drug to the cancerous growth, and as mentioned allows to reduce Significantly dose the drug and still do the job. We have also shown that our method does not harm healthy cells.“
The technology was demonstrated on cells in the laboratory as well as on human cancer cells in the mouse. The researchers estimate that the new strategy, demonstrated in their study in the model of melanoma cancer, will be effective Also in cancers others.