Emerging cancer treatments: Advanced techniques to battle the deadly disease

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• March 9, 2023

Researchers from various parts of the world are using innovative approaches to develop new cancer treatments, including genetic editing and alternative materials like fungi. These developments can make medicines and therapies more affordable with minimal harmful effects.

Emerging cancer treatments context

In 2021, Barcelona’s Clínic Hospital achieved a remission rate of 60 percent in cancer patients; 75 percent of patients saw no progress in the disease even after a year. The ARI 0002h treatment works by taking the patient’s T cells, genetically engineering them to recognize cancer cells better, and reintroducing them to the patient’s body.

In the same year, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers also managed to develop a treatment using T cells that are not specific to patients—it can be used off the shelf. Though the science is unclear as to why the body’s immune system did not destroy these lab-made T cells (known as HSC-iNKT cells), tests on irradiated mice showed test subjects were tumor-free and were able to sustain their survival. The cells retained their tumor-killing properties even after being frozen and thawed, killing live leukemia, melanoma, lung and prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma cells in vitro. Trials have yet to be conducted on humans.

Meanwhile, Oxford University and biopharmaceutical company NuCana worked to develop NUC-7738—a drug 40 times more effective than its parent fungus—Cordyceps Sinensis—at eliminating cancer cells. A chemical found in the parent fungus, often used in traditional Chinese medicine, kills anti-cancer cells but breaks down quickly in the bloodstream. By attaching chemical groups that decompose after reaching the cancer cells, the nucleosides’ lifetime within the bloodstream is lengthened.   

Disruptive impact 

If these emerging cancer treatments are successful in human trials, they could have several potential long-term implications. First, these treatments can significantly improve cancer survival rates and remission rates. T-cell-based therapies, for example, could lead to a more effective and targeted way to fight cancer by harnessing the body’s immune system. Second, these therapies could also lead to new treatment options for patients who have previously been unresponsive to traditional cancer therapies. The off-the-shelf T-cell treatment, for instance, could be used for a wide range of patients, regardless of their specific cancer type.

Third, genetic engineering and off-the-shelf T cells in these treatments could also lead to a more personalized approach to cancer treatment, where treatments can be tailored to the specific genetic makeup of a patient’s cancer. Lastly, using these drugs could also help lower cancer treatment costs by reducing the need for multiple rounds of expensive chemotherapy and radiation. 

Some of these studies and treatments are also publicly funded, which can make them more accessible to people without large pharma companies serving as price gatekeepers. Increasing funding in this sector will encourage more university and research institution partnerships to discover alternative sources of cancer treatments, including genetic engineering and body-in-a-chip.

Implications of emerging cancer treatments

Wider implications of emerging cancer treatments may include: 

• Significantly improved cancer survival and remission rates at a population scale.


• Prognosis changes for patients, with a better chance of recovery.


• More collaborations that bring together the expertise of scientists and researchers in academia with the resources and funding of biotech firms.


• The use of genetic engineering in these treatments leading to increased funding for genetic editing tools like CRISPR. This development could lead to new therapies tailored to the specific genetic makeup of each patient’s cancer.


• More research in integrating technology with therapies, including microchips that can change cell functions to self-heal.

Questions to consider

• What ethical considerations should be considered when developing these new cancer treatments?


• How might these alternative treatments affect research on other deadly diseases?