The second goal is to examine how well the dendritic cells engulf the protein targets delivered by the hybrid vehicle. It is important for the researchers to understand this interaction because it could lead to design changes in the hybrid vehicle that promote stronger immune responses. The first goal of the research involves studying, in very close detail, what happens when the hybrid vehicle comes into contact with dendritic cells. “To unleash their full potential – and provide durable benefits for cancer patients with aggressive disease that has spread – we must improve delivery of this treatment.”Ĭross-disciplinary research has three goals “Dendritic cells act as sentinels of the immune system, which is why their promise as a cancer immunotherapy is so tremendous,” he says. Jason Muhitch, PhD, assistant professor of oncology in the Department of Immunology at Roswell Park, is the grant’s other principal investigator. “We conjoin these two vehicles, creating a hybrid that is designed to efficiently deliver cargo – for this scenario, the target proteins – to key locations within the dendritic cells, which ultimately trigger an immune response,” says Pfeifer. He and colleagues previously designed the delivery system, which combines a bacterial core and a synthetic polymer coating. The system could ultimately enable the body’s cancer-fighting agents to break through intracellular traffic jams and produce stronger immune responses.īlaine Pfeifer, PhD, professor of chemical and biological engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is one of the grant’s principal investigators. They are studying a drug delivery system for the lab-created protein targets. Scientists at the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center earlier this year received a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to address these limitations. But it’s not equally effective for example, patients whose cancer is spreading often do not respond very well to it. These proteins provide dendritic cells with a target – in lieu of the unrecognized cancer cells – so they can alert and mobilize the immune system to fight cancer.Įmerging research suggests this approach – combined with other treatments – can help combat numerous forms of cancer. It involves training dendritic cells to engulf snippets of genetic information – in this case, key proteins found on patients’ cancer cells. To overcome this misperception, scientists are developing an immunotherapeutic workaround. Why? Scientists surmise that, because cancer develops within the body, immune system cells do not view the disease as a hostile intruder. Their job: alert the immune system to toxic invaders so it can mount an attack.īut these sentries – known as dendritic cells – often fail to warn of cancer’s arrival. – They patrol inside our skin and other soft tissue.
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