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Immunology Approach Could Treat Most Cancers

posted by martyb on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:36AM   Printer-friendly
from the finding-a-new-target dept.

takyon writes:

Immune discovery 'may treat all cancer'

A newly-discovered part of our immune system could be harnessed to treat all cancers, say scientists.

The Cardiff University team discovered a method of killing prostate, breast, lung and other cancers in lab tests.

The findings, published in Nature Immunology, have not been tested in patients, but the researchers say they have "enormous potential".

Experts said that although the work was still at an early stage, it was very exciting.

Also at Cardiff University:

Cardiff researchers have now discovered T-cells equipped with a new type of T-cell receptor (TCR) which recognises and kills most human cancer types, while ignoring healthy cells.

[...] [The] Cardiff study, published today in Nature Immunology, describes a unique TCR that can recognise many types of cancer via a single [human leukocyte antigen (HLA)]-like molecule called MR1.

Unlike HLA, MR1 does not vary in the human population - meaning it is a hugely attractive new target for immunotherapies.

Genome-wide CRISPR–Cas9 screening reveals ubiquitous T cell cancer targeting via the monomorphic MHC class I-related protein MR1 (DOI: 10.1038/s41590-019-0578-8) (DX)

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:27AM (14 children)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:27AM (#947230) Journal

    Science has found it is actually near impossible to get cancer from smoking

    [...]

    The fact that ‘‘only’’ 10% to 25% of all smokers develop lung cancer

    That's like claiming it's near impossible to roll 1's on your fair d10 or d4 dice.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:37AM (13 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:37AM (#947231)

    If you irritate a tissue almost constantly for like 40 years you are bound to have problems no matter what the irritant is. I'd call that near impossible.

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:39AM (12 children)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:39AM (#947232) Journal

      If you irritate a tissue almost constantly for like 40 years you are bound to have problems no matter what the irritant is. I'd call that near impossible.

      "Near impossible" doesn't mean something that is bound to happen.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:46AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:46AM (#947236)

        Reread your quote, it is still *not* bound to happen. Even after that extreme abuse the odds are you won't get lung cancer.

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:58AM (2 children)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:58AM (#947239) Journal

          you are bound to have problems [...] I'd call that near impossible.

          The definition of "near impossible" was subsequently explicitly expanded to include bound to happen things. You are completely reversing the meaning of "near impossible". Needless to say, I'm sticking with the dictionary definitions.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @05:01AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @05:01AM (#947241)

            Near impossible means you need to try really really hard to make something happen and even then you will probably fail.

            • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday January 24 2020, @05:47AM

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday January 24 2020, @05:47AM (#947860) Journal

              Near impossible means you need to try really really hard to make something happen and even then you will probably fail.

              So why again is that being applied as it was a few posts back to a condition that happens 10-25% of the time? That high a likelihood doesn't fit any rational definition of nearly impossible.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:48AM (7 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:48AM (#947237)

        If I poke you in the arm over and over I bet you get skin cancer in that spot faster than smoking would give you lung cancer (if at all).

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday January 23 2020, @05:01AM (6 children)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 23 2020, @05:01AM (#947240) Journal

          If I poke you in the arm over and over I bet you get skin cancer in that spot faster than smoking would give you lung cancer (if at all).

          That would be a valid point to make and something that could be tested. So what's the incident of cancer for poor fitting shoes and clothing? If I wear ill-fitting shoes for 40 years will that give me more than a 10% chance of getting skin cancer?

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @05:14AM (5 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @05:14AM (#947246)

            Sure, cancers commonly form from chronic wounds, eg: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5701580/ [nih.gov]

            • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:03AM (4 children)

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:03AM (#947269) Journal

              Its incidence is estimated to range from 1% to 2% of all burn scars.

              Still shy of 10-25%.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:08AM (3 children)

                by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:08AM (#947272)

                Yes, it is not limited to burns. And cancers forming from chronic wounds care not limited to this type. Wound -> cell division -> earlier cancer.

                • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:59PM (2 children)

                  by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:59PM (#947356) Journal

                  Yes, it is not limited to burns.

                  Point is you're still an order of magnitude shy.