A team of US researchers has developed a new immunotherapy technique that uses cytokine proteins as a potential treatment, effectively targeting tumours without causing harm to healthy cells.
Cytokines are small protein molecules that help control inflammation in the body. They are released by the body’s immune cells to fight against cancer and improve treatment effectiveness.
The team from Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering developed the new technique which ensures that immune cell boosts cytokines which curbs tumour spread to other tissues or organs. It also preserved the cytokine’s structure and reactivity levels to not expose toxicity to the rest of the body.
“Cytokines are potent and highly effective at stimulating the immune cells to eliminate cancer cells,” said Rong Tong, associate professor in chemical engineering at Virginia Tech.