Question ID: WS-65
Submitted by: Rajiv Khanna
February 25, 2011
Can we design new chemotherapeutic agents which are also immunepotentiating and are not immunosuppressive BACKGROUND: Traditionally most of the cancers are treated with chemotherapy and many of these agents are alos highly immunosuppressive. Recent studies have shown that a successful regression and disease-free response following chemotherapy is critically dependent on the immune status of the patient. Patients who are immunosuppressed are more likely to replase after a successful response to chemotherapy. FEASIBILITY: There are numerous small molecule/natural product libraries which can be used for screening of new compounds which act both as chemotherapeutic agents and immunostimulant. These novel componds should be designed in such a way that rather than killing the cancer cells and normal cells directly, these agents act as chemoattractant to direct the innate and adpative immune system to alter the microarchitecture of tumour which cuts off the nutrient supplies to the tumours. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Development of these novel compunds will have significant implications for the clinical management of cancer patients.
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