Warheads and avoiding Star Wars

Abstract

Correspondence1 May 2011free access Warheads and avoiding Star Wars Camilo Colaco Camilo Colaco ImmunoBiology Ltd, Cambridge, UK Search for more papers by this author Camilo Colaco Camilo Colaco ImmunoBiology Ltd, Cambridge, UK Search for more papers by this author Author Information Camilo Colaco1 1ImmunoBiology Ltd, Cambridge, UK EMBO Reports (2011)12:392-392https://doi.org/10.1038/embor.2011.67 PDFDownload PDF of article text and main figures. ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyWechatReddit Figures & Info In your recent editorial about the 40th anniversary of Nixon's war on cancer (Jacobs, 2011) you correctly argue for continuing the effort and funding to defeat cancer. However, as you point out, despite the voluminous amount of published knowledge, we are still waiting for substantial progress in actual therapy. Maybe we should thus take a moment to reflect on the shortcomings of the previous 40 years, to avoid repeating the same errors and to prevent our efforts from being futile again. For example, recent progress on the sequencing of cancer genomes (Stratton et al, 2009) reinforces the concept that all cancers are genetically individual (Greenman et al, 2007). Thus, unless individually defined (multi-)genetic therapy suddenly becomes technically and economically viable, we need to ask how much value there is in simply cataloguing yet more mutations. Surely, this would simply repeat the last 40 years with yet more publications and no progress in actual therapy. Similarly, the resurrected commercial potential of therapeutic antibodies (Nelson et al, 2010) should not make us ignore the hard-learned lessons of cancer immunology: that cell-mediated immunity is more potent against tumours than is humoral immunity (Palucka et al, 2011). This is clearly illustrated by experience with the development of cancer immunotherapy for lymphoma, in which previously limited success using anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibodies has progressed to more promising cell-mediated therapies using T cells and dendritic cells (Houot & Levy, 2009). A critical look at efforts over the past 40 years, together with the replacement of commercial gain, ego and fashion as the primary drivers of research, should ensure that our renewed efforts are not futile yet again in the war against this devastating disease. Conflict of Interest The author declares that he has no conflict of interest. Biography Camilo Colaco is at ImmunoBiology Ltd, Cambridge, UK. References Greenman S et al (2007) Nature 446: 153–158Web of Science®Google Scholar Houot R, Levy R (2009) Blood Rev 23: 137–142Web of Science®Google Scholar Jacobs H (2011) EMBO Rep 12: 91Web of Science®Google Scholar Nelson AL, Dhimolea E, Reichert JM (2010) Nat Rev Drug Discov 9: 767–774Web of Science®Google Scholar Palucka K et al (2011) J Intern Med 269: 64–73Web of Science®Google Scholar Stratton MR, Campbell PJ, Futreal PA (2009) Nature 458: 719–724Web of Science®Google Scholar Previous ArticleNext Article Volume 12Issue 51 May 2011In this issue ReferencesRelatedDetailsLoading ...