CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY | International researchers reveal in Alicante that one in three cases of cancer is already treated with immunotherapy

2023-12-30 10:24:02

One in three cases of cancer it is already dealt with immunotherapy. This was revealed in Alicante during the meeting that recently brought together more than 150 world-renowned immunologists and researchers in this novel approach that uses a person’s own immune system to fight cancer. Among them the Nobel Prize James Allisonawarded for discovering one of the antibodies used in the treatment of this pathology; Marcela Maus, from Harvard University; the director of the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Maria Blasco; or the scientist Margarita del Val, who revealed in this forum on new therapies that one in six tumors has an infectious origin.

The third edition of A-WISH international symposium (‘Alicante-Winter Immunology Symposium in Health’), organized by the Spanish Society of Immunology and the University of Alicante, is held in the Provincial Auditorium (ADDA), was closed with the decision of the researchers awarded the III BOULLE-SEI Prize for scientific excellence in Immunology, endowed with €50,000. With this award, this scientific society and Jean Boulle Group They sought to socially recognize the work of research, diagnosis and treatment of pathologies of the immune system.

After the first editions focused on covid-19 and innate immunity, this year scientists focused on immunotherapy, which is “any manipulation we do of the immune system applied to treat diseases such as cancer, autoimmune, allergic and infectious. The vaccine , for example, is a form of immunotherapy,” said Marcos López Hoyos, president of the Spanish Society of Immunology.

Monoclonal antibodies

Much progress has been made in cancer immunotherapyespecially in the second line, when the patient does not respond to the first treatment, with the employment of monoclonal antibodieswhat are they going directed in front of the checkpoints from immune response.

“We have learned to take the cells who are infiltrating tumorsmanipulate them, expand them, differentiate them and use them to therapy“. The attending scientists, from United States, Germany, France or Spain, They focused on the CAR-T cellswhich began to be used especially hematological cancers and that now they are applied to those of organs solids; in the antibodies biological monoclonals which are used in more and more cancers; in the immunotherapy in allergys and in new methodologies to monitor how doctors use these therapies.

Dr. López Hoyos revealed that they are creating virus what are they called oncolytics and that, “by manipulating them, we can treat cancer. I wouldn’t say cure so much, but we try it and we get some good EXPECTATIVES in the population that suffers from this disease.” This therapy is used in increasingly types of tumoralthough it depends on the conditions. “Biological checkpoint inhibitors began to be used especially in melanoma and have been advancing to almost all types of solid organ tumors,” applying not only a single antibody but two. We are also using CAR-T cells in trials to treat autoimmune diseases. “This is moving forward.”

Those Cytolytic viruses have machinery to destroy the membrane and cause the cell to enter a process of cell death, that can be used in research.

Clinical trials in Spain

These clinical trials are already a reality in Spain and will become increasingly widespread in the future. Hay Cell therapy units and immunotherapy are being applied extensively to any Oncology service. In fact, there is a network called Certera, which was recently launched by the Carlos III Institute (State Network Consortium for the development of Advanced Therapy Medicines). Just like him TERAV group, whose objective is to develop advanced therapy drugs.

The elected president of this scientific society, Dr. Silvia Sánchez has stressed the importance of basic research.

“These very sophisticated therapies are commercial and have a cost, but they can also be done in public hospitals,” and in fact already in some of the Valencian Community there is cell therapy. “We must invest in these treatments for the general benefit of these patients,” she said.

Some of these treatments have a cost of more than 400,000 euros hence the doctor vindicated the essential role of immunologists in multidisciplinary teams within hospitals with oncologists, hematologists and other specialists for the manufacture and expansion of these very specific cells that can provide enormous benefits.

One of the attendees at the conference is the scientist Margarita del Val, who recalled that the immune system is the defense system of our body to keep it healthy and to protect us from attacks that come from without and from within. “For those who come from outside we have vaccines, which have been a tremendous advancewith which immunologists have had a very critical eye to ensure how good and safe they are.

Infectious agents

In the case of cancer, he pointed out that one in six tumors is caused by Infectious agentssuch as, for example, those caused by helicobacter or by hepatitis C and B viruses, and papillomaviruses. For the last two there are vaccines. “Cancers are cells modified with respect to how they are in the body and that is why they escape control. We can train our immune system so that it can react and help us in cancer therapy. Actually, in the last five or ten years there has been a tremendous revolution in immunology for cancer. We hope that this reaches more fields because there are many diseases that have an inflammatory basis of deregulation of immunity and we have to reach them, and immunologists are very important.”

To train immunity It proposes vaccines, exercise, good nutrition, rest, lack of stress and a healthy life. Hence the presentation of the awards “Train your immunity” five athletes as ambassadors of this message among the population, among them the soccer player Jenni Hermoso.

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For its part, the chancellor of the UA, Amparo Navarro, expressed his gratitude and satisfaction to the Spanish Society of Immunology for holding this symposium in Alicante every December “at the highest level” because it is “of great interest to the scientific community.” “Besides, Very prestigious awards are given that place the city on the map of relevant scientific awards and we must remember that “The University of Alicante has very cutting-edge lines of research in all biomedical topics.” Both from the point of view of teaching, with the qualifications of Nursing, Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Nutritionand others related to the health sector; as from that of research.

He also highlighted the role of UA microbiologist Francis Mojica, considered the father of the CRISPR gene editing tool, and Nobel candidate for this progress. Likewise, he recalled that the entity has a university chair financed by Roche Laboratories who directs the Professor of Immunology, Dr. Sempere. “In addition, Alicante is the city ​​of Dr. Balmis, who brought the vaccine to the Philippines and Latin America when not much was known about immunology“said the rector.