German researchers presented a “Trojan horse” method of
attacking cancer, sneaking virus impersonators into the human body which
prompt an immune response that attacks tumors.
Tested in only three people so far, the treatment claims to be the
latest advance in immunotherapy, which aims to rouse the body’s own
immune system against disease.
Made in the lab, the Trojan horse is composed of nanoparticles
containing cancer RNA, a form of genetic coding, enclosed by a fatty
acid membrane.
The particles are injected into patients to simulate a viral
infection, and infiltrate specialised immune cells. These dendritic
cells decode the RNA embedded in the nanoparticles, triggering, in
turn, the production of cancer antigens. The new treatment is called an RNA vaccine, it works just like a
preventive vaccine by mimicking an infectious agent and training the
body to respond to it.
If further trials find the therapy works, they added, the method could help pave the way to a treatment for all cancer types.
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