F E A T U R E
ANCER MISE BLE
Y
Over US $ 200 billion is spent on cancer care each year by the US , yet many patients are still left on waiting lists . In 2023 alone , there were nearly two million new cancer cases and people whose treatment was delayed by even one month have a six to 13 % higher risk of dying . The industry needs to ensure they can keep up with the growing demand for quality treatments .
Microbubbles are now at the frontier of our efforts to solve this problem . This buoyancy-activated cell sorting ( BACS ) method uses gravity alone to separate T cells for downstream use in immunotherapies such as CAR T cell therapy . Not only do microbubbles allow for the creation of better , more successful treatments for patients , but also make them more affordable for the population .
Improving the market for cancer treatments
Although cancer treatment can take many forms , including surgery , chemotherapy and radiotherapy , breakthroughs in research have suggested that immunotherapy is where the true cancer-curing potential lies . Where allogenic therapies use cells from someone other than the patient , autologous CAR T cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy which uses a patient ’ s own immune system to help fight cancer . Currently , CAR T cell therapy has proven particularly effective against leukaemia , lymphoma and multiple myeloma .
This treatment involves using T cells that are genetically altered to enable them to accurately locate and kill cancer cells . T cells are white blood cells that find and fight illness and infection throughout the body . Each T cell has a receptor on its surface which can recognise antigens ( proteins on the surface of other cells ). When the immune system recognises foreign or abnormal antigens , it works to destroy these cells . However , T cells can struggle to recognise the antigens on cancer cells as abnormal , leaving them
www . intelligenthealth . tech 33