The Future Treatment of Cancer?
Researchers are studying multiple ways to treat cancer by using gene therapy. Some approaches focus on targeting healthy cells to amplify their ability to fight cancer. Other approaches involve destroying cancer cells, or preventing further growth.
- Scientists replace missing or altered genes with new, healthy genes. Some missing or altered genes may cause cancer, substituting functional copies of these genes may be used to treat cancer.
- Scientists are also studying ways to enhance the immune system and stimulate the body's natural ability to fight cancer. They inject certain genes into a blood sample of the patient that will cause the cells to make a protein (TCR) that will attach themselves to the white blood cells. Once the blood sample is reinserted into the patient, the proteins will recognize and stick to the molecules found in the tumour. Finally, it will signal the white blood cells to attack the cancer cells.
-Scientists are researching the implantation of genes into cancer cells to make them more vulnerable to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or other treatments. In other scenarios, researchers remove healthy stem cells from the body, insert a therapeutic gene that makes these cells more resistant to the side effects of anticancer drug. Thus, injecting them back into the patient afterwards.