In the ongoing search for a cancer cure, a U of A team is looking to unleash the immune system so that it attacks powerful cancer cells and heals itself.
The researchers are developing specialized small molecules that will trigger the body's T-cells to recognize tumours as foreign bodies and attack and destroy them. T-cells are an important part of the body's immune system, but malignant tumours deactivate T-cells so they are unable to see and destroy bad cells.
Research into the small-molecule treatment, called the Immune Checkpoint Program, is being led by Khaled Barakat, '12 PhD, research assistant professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. He's heading a multidisciplinary team that includes some of the brightest minds in the fields of oncology, virology, immunology, chemistry, dentistry and pharmaceutical sciences. The project is backed by a $5.4-million partnership between the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the U of A's Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology.
The treatment would be less invasive and less expensive than the current methods of treating cancer, and research suggests it could be used to fight different types of cancer. "The concept has been proven by antibodies in many cancer types, including advanced melanoma, one of the hardest cancers to treat," says Barakat.
The research team is using computer modelling and experimental testing to develop and test the small molecules and hopes to find a pharmaceutical partner to get the drug ready for human trials by 2020.
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