In the quest to combat cancer, researchers are examining a form of immunotherapy that involves activating the body’s immune cells and reprogramming them to target and eliminate cancer cells. This treatment approach often utilizes cytokines, which are small protein molecules released by the body’s immune cells to communicate and coordinate their response.
The focus is on developing treatment procedures that are less invasive but still highly effective. Researchers are turning to immunotherapy as a possible solution, which involves using the body’s immune system to combat cancer cells. In the College of Engineering, Rong Tong, an associate professor in chemical engineering, and Wenjun “Rebecca” Cai, an associate professor in materials science and engineering, are working together to revamp a treatment procedure and make it more innovative. This cancer immunotherapy treatment has been a topic of interest for researchers for a long time.In a recent article published in the journal Science Advances,, Tong and Cai outlined their strategy, which involves activating the body’s immune cells and reprogramming them to target and eradicate cancer cells. This treatment approach often utilizes the protein cytokine, which are small molecules that act as communication messengers between cells and are released by the immune system to coordinate their actions.
“Cytokines are powerful and very effective at triggering the immune system to eliminate cancer cells,” Tong explained. “The challenge is that they are so potent that if they circulate freely in the body, they can cause unwanted side effects.”
They will activate all immune cells in the body, which can lead to an excessive immune response and possibly deadly side effects.”
Tong and Cai, along with graduate students in chemical engineering and materials science and engineering, have created a new method for using cytokine proteins as a potential treatment for immunotherapy. Unlike previous approaches, their technique ensures that the cytokines that stimulate immune cells effectively stay within the tumors for weeks while maintaining their structure and reactivity levels.
Working together to fight cancer cells
Current cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, are unable to differentiate between healthy cells and cancer cells. This means that when a person with cancer undergoes chemotherapy, the treatment affects all the cells in their body, resulting in side effects such as hair loss and fatigue. A potential alternative to treating cancer involves stimulating the body’s immune system to attack tumors. While delivering cytokines can kick-start immune cells within the tumor, excessive stimulation of healthy cells can lead to severe side effects.
The scientists were focused on finding a way to target tumors without causing harm to the rest of the body. Tong mentioned that chemical engineers could use their expertise to improve the effectiveness of cytokines so they can effectively work inside the body. The team’s objective is to destroy cancer cells while preserving healthy ones. Tong and his students utilized their knowledge to develop specialized particles with different sizes to track the drug’s path. These microparticles are designed to locate and treat tumors.cles are created with the intention of remaining within the tumor environment once they are injected into the body. Cai and her students concentrated on evaluating the surface properties of these particles.
“Within the materials science and engineering field, we investigate the surface chemistry and mechanical properties of materials, including the specialized particle developed for this project,” Cai explained. “Surface engineering and characterization, as well as particle size, are crucial factors in controlled drug delivery, ensuring extended drug presence and sustained therapeutic efficacy.”
To guarantee effective drug delivery, Tong and his chemical engineering students conducted research on modifying the surface properties of the particles at the nanoscale level.signed a unique plan that involves:
- Attaching cytokines to these innovative microparticles in order to reduce the damage of cytokines to healthy cells
- Enabling the newly particle-anchored cytokines to activate immune systems and attract immune cells to fight against cancer cells
“Our approach not only minimizes the harm caused by cytokines to healthy cells, but also extends the retention of cytokines within the tumor,” Tong explained. “This helps to enhance the recruitment of immune cells for targeted tumor attack.”
The next phase of the process entails combining the new, localized cytokine therapy method with commercially available, Food and Drug A rnrnThe FDA has approved checkpoint blockade antibodies that can reawaken immune cells in tumors, allowing them to fight against cancer cells. According to Tong, the antibodies work to remove the brakes that tumors place on immune cells, while cytokine molecules work to kickstart the immune system and mobilize an army of immune cells to combat the cancer cells. These two methods work in tandem to activate the immune cells and fight cancer.The researchers’ study demonstrated that the particle-anchored cytokine paired with checkpoint antibodies was effective in eliminating numerous tumors. The team aims to contribute to the advancement of cancer treatment through immunotherapy methods that do not harm healthy cells. In addition, they believe that the innovative technique of attaching cytokines to particles could potentially be utilized for delivering various immunostimulatory medications in the future. Tong stated, “There is still a search for safer and more efficient cancer treatments, and this is what motivates us.”The objective is to develop new technologies in the field of cancer treatment. Current drugs used to boost the immune system to combat cancer cells have not been very successful. The aim is to develop innovative solutions that will allow researchers to test these drugs with existing FDA-approved treatments, ensuring safety and improved effectiveness.”
Cai noted that expertise across engineering disciplines is essential for cancer treatment research.
“I see this project as a perfect combination of chemical engineering and materials science,” Cai explained. “Chemical engineering focuses on synthesis and drug delivery, while materials science focuses on utilizing advanced materials.Materials characterization. This partnership not only speeds up the research on immunotherapy but also has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment.
