Most frighteningly, there is still no 100 percent successful cancer treatment. Scientists have come a long way in the last few decades, however, the risk of death from the disease remains. However, major advances have been made in cancer treatment research. US scientists claim to have discovered a 'kill switch' that can kill cancer cells.
According to the World Health Organization, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In 2020, nearly 1 crore people died of cancer worldwide. Scientists have come a long way in the last few decades, however, the risk of death from the disease remains. However, major advances have been made in cancer treatment research. Scientists at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, California, United States, claimed to have discovered a 'kill switch' that can kill cancer cells.
They claim that there is a special protein in the receptor part of human cells. That protein can be engineered to kill cancer cells. The protein is part of the cell's CD95 receptor, or FAS, the scientists said. These protein receptors are located in the cell membrane or membrane. These proteins lie dormant within the receptor. Once they are awakened, that is, activated, they emit a special signal. That signal causes cancer cells to self-destruct.
US researchers named this treatment method CAR T-cell therapy. They said, first, T-cells are collected from the blood of a cancer patient. Then, those T-cells are genetically modified in the laboratory to create a receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR. Then, those receptors are injected back into the patient's body. Then the active kill switch automatically starts killing the cancer cells.
However, some limitations of this treatment method have been identified. So far, this treatment has been very effective against leukemia and other blood cancers, that is, cases where the tumor is liquid. However, its success rate against solid tumors such as breast, lung and colon cancer is low. This is the biggest challenge facing them now. However, they are hopeful that this treatment can be developed for the treatment of solid tumor cancers in the near future.
