A group of researchers from High of the Clinic of the University of Navarra and of Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition of the University of Navarra created a new treatment who uses nanoparticles to improve the immune system’s response against cancer.
This treatment showed positive results in tests of colon cancer And lung cancer. The nanoparticles contain a peptide called P60which acts as an inhibitor of Treg cellswhich help protect the tumor against attacks by the immune system.
The main challenge was to ensure that the peptide P60 reaches the right cells without losing its effectiveness. Using a technique that encapsulates the peptide into nanoparticles designed to target the Treg cellsthe researchers made the peptide more stable and more effective.
“This not only helps the immune system attack the tumor more effectively, but also improves the effectiveness of the immune system. immunotherapies which are already used in many treatments against cancer” explains Dr. Mª Jesus Garridoprofessor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition of University of Navarra and researcher responsible for the project.
Studies in mice have given very positive results: treatment with these nanoparticles succeeded in completely eliminating the tumors in all cases, in combination with immunotherapy therapieslike anti-PD-1. In addition, these nanoparticles helped create a inflammatory environment that destroyed cancer cells.
“This advance brings us closer to more precise and more effective treatments against cancer. By focusing on the cells that hinder the immune system’s response, we enable it to respond more strongly and more effectively. We believe this technology could significantly improve current treatments and offer new options to fight disease“said the professor immunology Juan José Lasarteco-inventor of the P60 peptide and researcher on the project. Dr. Lasarte is co-director of the Cima Immunology and Immunotherapy Programwhich is part of the Clinic of the Cancer Center of the University of Navarra. The results were published in Acta Pharmacologique Sinica.
This advance opens the door to new personalized treatmentsas the technology can be adapted to include different drugs. With these results, researchers from the University of Navarra are sure that once the necessary clinical phases are completed, “this treatment could be a big step in the fight against cancerimproving the effectiveness of current therapies and providing new options for patients.
