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Subcutaneous disk delivered from skin cancer

Scientists from Harvard University have developed a method capable of destroying cancerous tumors. The disk of porous plastic impregnated with the vaccine and implanted under the skin, gave good results in experimental mice, who have managed to eliminate the tumor itself, and its metastases.

The experiment was placed on rodents with malignant tumors of the skin, the paper says. Melanoma, skin cancer, is considered one of the most dangerous types of malignant tumors in man due to a higher probability of formation of metastases.

Why an implant?

The authors of the new method in the press release tell the University about what needed to implant the disk with the medicine under the skin and that was a cure. According to scientists, porous tablet diameter of 8.5 mm was impregnated with a mixture of two substances – cytokines and tumor antigens.

Cytokines – are molecules that activate immune system cells. A tumor-associated antigens, in turn, allow for the selection of T-lymphocytes target for destruction. Thus, introduced under the skin pill itself does not destroy the tumor, and leads to her immune system. In fact, it is a vaccine against cancer, but with somewhat unusual method of writing.

tablet under the skin, made of biodegradable plastic over time (such doctors are called biodegradable materials), supports activity of lymphocytes, struggling with the tumor cells, at a constant level. That it apart from the injections and the use of the drugs inside: how the researchers note, with the traditional introduction in the body to activate and to combat the tumors of 90% of the injected cells were lost in vain.

Why is it not done earlier?

Porous Non-toxic plastic that can eventually break down into harmless components, was known previously. Moreover, in the United States its use for medical purposes approved by the administration of food and medicines. On the role of cytokines and tumor antigens, scientists also knew. But why only now we were talking about the trials of such funds, and then only in mice?

The problem is that the immune system is shaped not only by lymphocytes of the same type that are hunted down and killed tumor. There are many different types of cells that perform different functions. Scientists have managed to create an implant, which includes the so-called dendritic cells. They convey information about the tumor antigen in the closest to the implanted tablet lymph node, and go where other cells, T-lymphocytes.

T cells are different too: and one of the species is ominous name of T-killers. The destruction of tumor cells occurs at precisely the participation of “killers” who, faced with a cancer cell to recognize its characteristic proteins on the surface ( “knowledge” about what whites to seek, receive them back in lymph node). Once the tumor cells recognized, the T-killer or sends the triggering self-destruction of cells of the biochemical signal, or throws a substance damaging the membrane of the target, or uses a combination of these methods.

Since the tablet, activating immune system and cause it to produce targeted destruction of tumor T-killers, is located in the body permanently and replace one of the T-cell comes to the other, the cancer is not likely to exist in future, and even more development.

Prospects

While the method of transfer to the clinic, scientists say cautiously. Perhaps in the future drive with the vaccine will be implanted under the skin and used in combination with other cancer treatments. David Mooney, one of the authors published in the journal Science Translational Medicine article said that, theoretically, their development will be more effective than previously tested at clinics in practices, but the final conclusion, of course, be followed only after the appropriate tests.