COVID Can’t Stop the March of Discovery

Over the past year, COVID-19 caused a lot in our world to slow down to what feels like a crawl. However, basic medical research in laboratories across the country continues to press forward. Basic research is what forms the foundation of translational discoveries – taking what’s learned in the lab to test new therapies that may yield medical breakthroughs for patients.

The National Cancer Institute at NIH led a study in which it coaxed a patient’s immune cells to deliver an anticancer signal throughout the body. This anticancer signal ‘warned’ other cells in the body and prevented cancer from spreading. In a recent press release, Rosandra Kaplan, M.D., of NCI’s Center for Cancer Research explains “Before cancer spreads, it sends out signals that get distant sites ready for the cancer’s arrival—like calling ahead to have the pillows fluffed in your hotel room prior to arrival.” The work of Kaplan and her team could bring metastatic cancer—cancer that has spread from its original location to other parts of the body – to its knees and allow a patient’s own immune system to prevent cancer from spreading.

For some patients, current treatment protocols work and healing takes place. However, for others, medical breakthroughs provide treatment options when all other therapies falter. That’s why it’s crucial to keep physicians and patients at the center of medical decision making. P+P will continue to amplify these voices in support of personalized treatment plans, real-time decision making by doctors and unfiltered access to the medical innovation.