Is there a cancer cure at last? A look at the most significant medical advancements in 2022
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 was also the year that saw significant advances in our understanding of oncology treatment, according to scientists. A novel method of pancreatic cancer diagnosis developed by Spanish researchers involves examining the patient’s stool. Additionally, there have been advancements in halting the progression of head and neck cancer as well as breast cancer.
Here are just a few of the numerous developments from 2022 that may herald the “golden age” of cancer treatment, ranging from new approaches to radiation therapy, vaccinations, and bone marrow transplants.
Petri-dish bone marrow
In November, researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham produced the first “organoids” of bone marrow that accurately resembled human bone marrow. This method allowed researchers to create the main cell types found in human bone marrow by growing human stem cells in a specially designed 3D scaffold. We should be happy about this development because it allows for a more individualised approach to therapy.
FLASH radiation therapy
The use of radiation to eradicate cancerous tumours has been discovered to be a safe, efficient, quicker, and less painful method known as FLASH radiation therapy. FLASH delivers in a split second a dose that is more than 300 times greater than that of conventional radiation therapy. Six out of twelve patients with bone cancer who participated in the trial said the new technique completely reduced their discomfort. According to John Breneman, the study’s lead investigator, this innovation may increase the likelihood that patients would recover from their illnesses.
Immunotherapy
According to a study published in June, antigen vaccines in people with advanced melanoma were slowing the development of malignant tumours and eliciting an immune response. These vaccines can be less hazardous than chemotherapy and are typically tailored to a person’s DNA. One of the first to receive such a vaccine was 67-year-old cancer veteran Mark Lashway, who went from having a 15% chance of survival to having all of his tumours entirely gone.
Base editing
Base editing, a relatively recent development, allows for the modification of the four DNA bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine) (T). A novel T-cell, a sort of white blood cell that aids in the destruction of dangers in the body, was created by medical professionals for 13-year-old leukaemia patient Alyssa. Doctors were able to alter donor T-cells in three steps such that they would not attack Alyssa’s body and would not be destroyed by chemotherapy medications. According to the sources, these transformed T-cells can then locate and eliminate malignant T-cells.
CAR-T therapy “IMAGINE”
Clinical trials for a different type of T-cell therapy called “IMAGINE” by Indian biotech firm Immuneel Therapeutics began in June. CAR-T treatments, which are being researched to broaden their application and can cure blood cancer, have not been made available in India. They cost roughly $350,000 per dose internationally. After they have exhausted all other treatment options, Indian citizens may have an affordable alternative thanks to Immuneel’s latest endeavour. Immuneel aims to lower costs and give Indian citizens hope by leading their own production processes and accomplishing as much as they can in-house.