Immunsejtterápiák

Immunsejtterápiák represent a class of medical treatments that harness the power of the body's own immune system to fight diseases, particularly cancer. These therapies aim to stimulate, augment, or redirect the immune system's natural ability to identify and destroy abnormal cells. They are a significant advancement in modern medicine, offering new hope for patients with previously intractable conditions.

One of the most prominent types of immunsejtterápia is checkpoint inhibition. This approach targets specific proteins, known as immune checkpoints, that act as brakes on the immune system. By blocking these checkpoints, the therapy essentially releases the brakes, allowing immune cells, such as T-cells, to more effectively attack cancer cells. Another key strategy involves adoptive cell transfer. In this method, a patient's own immune cells are collected, genetically modified in a laboratory to enhance their cancer-fighting capabilities, and then reinfused into the patient. CAR T-cell therapy is a well-known example of this technique, where T-cells are engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that specifically recognize and bind to cancer cells.

Other immunsejtterápiák include therapeutic vaccines, which aim to stimulate an immune response against cancer-specific antigens, and oncolytic viruses, which are viruses engineered to selectively infect and kill cancer cells while also triggering an anti-tumor immune response. While these treatments have shown remarkable success in certain cancers, they can also be associated with side effects, often related to the overactivation of the immune system. Ongoing research continues to refine these therapies, aiming to improve efficacy, reduce toxicity, and expand their application to a wider range of diseases.