An Ancient Genetic Element can Help Fight Cancer

Researchers have been trying a variety of ways to boost the immune system we all have so it's able to fight off cancer. Those methods often rely on a virus to deliver therapeutic agents, but those viruses can introduce problematic side effects.

Scientists at the University of Minnesota are trying to develop another method for drug delivery. They were inspired by evolutionary pressures that were being exerted on game fish, in which big fish were more likely to be caught and eaten, while slow-to-grow fish ended up getting tossed back. To solve that issue, transposons were used as a gene delivery system. Researcher Perry Hackett decided to see whether that method could also work as a way to introduce therapeutic genes in cancer immunotherapy. Learn more from the video.

Source: University of Minnesota