Cytokine Regulation: A Frontier in Cancer Immunotherapy Research
Thompson Oncology’s drug-free UNLEASH device uses selective molecular plasma filtration to temporarily “up-regulate” the immune system’s anti-tumor response.
Cytokines regulate various systems in mammals, binding either directly to cells or to other proteins. Certain cytokines work as brakes on the immune response to malignant cells. Depleting the blood of these specific cytokines, through selective bio-molecular filtration, will temporarily increase activity of other cytokines to aggressively attack tumor tissue. The UNLEASH® device operates through plasmapheresis – similar to kidney dialysis to remove targeted cytokine proteins from a patient’s blood.
“There is no question that an ideal treatment for cancer would be to activate the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. Given the enormous amount of dialysis that is conducted in the U.S., a technique like this could be readily implemented by the medical community.”
~National Cancer Institute Special Emphasis Panel: Advance Innovative Research for Cancer Drug Discovery by Small Business