Brain Tumors & Where Immune Cells Come In

By Rob Sutter


The idea of brain tumors is one that can be linked to glioblastoma, as many would be able to tell you. This is commonly regarded as one of the deadliest forms of cancer and it is found in the brain as well. There are methods put in place for the sake of removal and it seems as though there is a lot of attention brought to the idea of procedures that can be seen in the long term. Immune cells are ones to consider but what do these entail, you may wonder?

According to an article on Medical News Today, it seems as though there are specialized immune cells that have been deactivated in these brain tumors. The University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute looked into these and applied clinical trials to the matter as well. It's not like there aren't treatments, as organizations like Voices against Brain Cancer can attest to. However, with a median survival of only 15 months, the treatments in question are not as effective as they probably should be.

You may be curious as to how these immune cells can function in order to help those who are afflicted with tumors. The report said that microglia, the immune cells, are ones that can come into effect for the sake of helping the body in the face of infection, injury, and the sort. Microglia operates as the brain's immune system of sorts and perhaps no other term could be as accurate. In fact, the way that these cells work is that they target the stem cells, which work to bring tumors to the surface, and eliminate them at a rapid pace.

The report went into detail about a study that would be able to target the immune cells in relation to tumors. One of the more prominent points to consider is the usage of a drug by the name of amphotericin B, which would be put into place for the sake of making microglia active again. It's not like AmpB hasn't been used before; in the past, it worked for the sake of fungal infections against the brain and spine. To say that the results of the study were strong would be an understatement.

With this drug being implemented on a daily basis, the mice used in the study were able to see their tumors halted in terms of progression. This is because the drug in question was able to facilitate their natural defense mechanisms, which means that there is a possibility for this procedure to be tailored for humans as well. I think that this is especially worthy of note when you consider that therapies, in general, have been spotty. I can only hope that this one will prove more worthwhile.




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