Certainly everyone is aware about some type of malignant tumor or much dreaded ailment called cancer afflicting people. In spite of intense research over several decades by top medical cancer research centres in different parts of the world, there’s no full proof treatment or medical cure to various forms of cancer affecting many people of all ages, very often without any warning or recognisable initial symptoms. The consequences of this frightening disease can lead to very painful end for the victim, which also leaves the near and dear ones shattered mentally, physically and financially.
Of course science and medical research over the years has come up with several alternatives that can treat at times satisfactorily some types of cancers, provide relief and reduce painful conditions for some and in others delay the onset of death.
But the recently awarded 2018 Nobel Prize for Medicine, to two eminent immunologists James Allison from US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan for their revolutionary research into how the body’s natural defences can fight cancer has given new hope, the way cancer will be treated in future.
Their research is concerned with direct targeting proteins made by some immune systems cells that act as “brake” on body’s natural defences, thereby killing cancer cells. That role partly falls to a white blood cell known as a “T cell”. Proteins on the surface of a “T cell” tell the immune system to kick into overdrive and be ready to destroy external threats — but others act as blocks, telling the immune system to slow down.
Presently the existing traditional cancer treatments concentrate in targeting the cancer cells inside the body by either reducing them or sometimes completely destroying them. This is achieved by the use of chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, in the bargain damaging or destroying the normal and healthy cells.
Both Allison and Honjo discovered distinct proteins that were responsible for blocking the immune response: CTLA-4 and PD-1. By understanding these immune “brakes”, the two had found potential new targets for therapy. Those discoveries sparked a revolution for specific cancer treatments.
What’s interesting is that the two immunologists worked separately in two different countries in their research work but albeit in similar research fields, Their works complemented each other and eventually culminated into powerful discovery of common solution that eventually could lead to potential treatment and cure of deadly disease of cancer. Let’s hope that complete cure for cancer becomes available very soon as a result of this amazing breakthrough.
