Immune System Activation

Many cancers are able to evade the normal immune system control procedures because they are not different enough from the surrounding cells. Dendreon is one of several companies seeking improved therapies in this area. In such techniques the aim is to take certain cells from the patient (eg dendritic cells) and to add something to them so that when they are re-infused they present a very obvious challenge to the immune system; in tackling them the latter is alerted to the characteristics of the cancer cells and its ability to seek out and destroy the cancer is enhanced.

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