Photoimmunotherapy
Infrared radiation therapy effectively destroys brain cancer
Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+
Scientists from The London Institute of Oncology has developed a new type of "photoimmunotherapy" that helps treat brain cancer. A key component of therapy is a fluorescent compound that reacts to light, which indicates the tumor to the surgeon, while near—infrared light activates the mechanism of cancer destruction.
The new study is based on the well-known method of fluorescent imaging in surgery (FGS), which consists in introducing a fluorescent pigment into the patient's body that glows under the action of photons. This compound is combined with an artificial molecule that combines with a certain protein, for example, the one produced by cancer cells. The end result is a tumor that glows under the given conditions. This method makes it easier for surgeons to remove the affected cells.
A study by British scientists has expanded the range of possibilities of this method. They added a new molecule that binds to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is often mutated in glioblastoma cells.
After surgeons remove most of the brain tumor, they turn on a near-infrared light lamp, which switches the molecule into a mode of destroying the remaining cancer cells. The idea is to deprive glioblastoma of the opportunity to return.
A test on a mouse model showed that animals after photoimmunotherapy show clear signs of cancer cell death just an hour after exposure to near-infrared light. In addition to this, the therapy has pushed the animals' immune system to a new attack on cancer, which reduces the chances of a relapse.
Article by Mączyńska et al. Triggering anti-GBM immune response with EGFR-mediated photoimmunotherapy is published in the journal BMC Medicine.
"Our study shows that a new photoimmunotherapy with a combination of a fluorescent marker, an antibody fragment and near—infrared radiation jointly recognizes and affects glioblastoma cells in mice," said Gabriela Kramer-Marek, lead author of the study. "In the future, we hope to use this therapy to treat glioblastoma, as well as other cancers."
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